CONNACHT CLAIMED THEIR first win since 1 March and ended a run of four defeats with a much needed bonus point victory away to the Pro12′s bottom club.
Matt Healy hands off Mauro Bergamasco on his way through. Matteo Ciambelli / INPHO
Matteo Ciambelli / INPHO / INPHO
While John Cooney claimed two tries, Matt Healy proved to be the first-half game-breaker for Pat Lam’s side with a try and an assist to help the Westerners into a 10 – 21 advantage at the interval.
A superb break and hand-off from the winger was followed up by an offload to the trail-running Cooney. The scrum-half collected to race over for a 12th minute try.
Zebre managed to level the match on 26 minutes after they came close to botching an overlap on the left. Instead the ball was spilled backwards and, with the last Connacht defender cut out, the safe hands of Brendan Leonard collected and grounded the try.
Healy fired back minutes later, showing his raw speed to punish the hosts for a spilled pass in midfield by stepping a defender and powering all the way to the try-line.
Orquera would narrow the gap to four points, but Connacht and Cooney still had line-break in them before the whistle, this time the scrum-half romped home off a pass from lock Ultan Dillane to leave Connacht within within sniffing distance of a win, two months after they last tasted victory.
The double try-scoring scrum-half was withdrawn early in the second half as Lam sent Kieran Marmion on to steer the ship home. The second period would provide fewer opportunities than the first, but Connacht got the job done, Eoghan Masterson grounding a 54th minute try off the back of a clinical maul.
The contest ended on scrappy terms, Luca Redolfini was sin-binned for throwing frustrated punches and Connacht capitalised before he returned with the one flowing move of the half. Kieran Marmion sniped for a gap in his own 22 and, despite clear shouts of ‘get rid of it’ coming through the referee’s mic, he accelerated into Zebre territory before spinning an excellent pass to the right wing where Tiernan O’Halloran was in full flight and hungry for a score.
The visitors claimed a sixth try before the end, with (late replacement for Darragh Leader) Shane O’Leary’s effort pushing the Westerners over the 40-point mark and back into sixth place in the Pro12 – the final automatic Champions Cup qualification spot – before the Scarlets take on Cardiff tomorrow.
Scorers
Zebre
Try: B Leonard
Conv. L Orquera
Penalties: L Orquera
Connacht
Tries: J Cooney (2) M Healy, E Masterson, T O’Halloran, S O’Leary
Connacht back up to 6th place in Pro12 with 6 tries in win over Zebre
Zebre 10
Connacht 40
CONNACHT CLAIMED THEIR first win since 1 March and ended a run of four defeats with a much needed bonus point victory away to the Pro12′s bottom club.
While John Cooney claimed two tries, Matt Healy proved to be the first-half game-breaker for Pat Lam’s side with a try and an assist to help the Westerners into a 10 – 21 advantage at the interval.
A superb break and hand-off from the winger was followed up by an offload to the trail-running Cooney. The scrum-half collected to race over for a 12th minute try.
Zebre managed to level the match on 26 minutes after they came close to botching an overlap on the left. Instead the ball was spilled backwards and, with the last Connacht defender cut out, the safe hands of Brendan Leonard collected and grounded the try.
Healy fired back minutes later, showing his raw speed to punish the hosts for a spilled pass in midfield by stepping a defender and powering all the way to the try-line.
Orquera would narrow the gap to four points, but Connacht and Cooney still had line-break in them before the whistle, this time the scrum-half romped home off a pass from lock Ultan Dillane to leave Connacht within within sniffing distance of a win, two months after they last tasted victory.
The double try-scoring scrum-half was withdrawn early in the second half as Lam sent Kieran Marmion on to steer the ship home. The second period would provide fewer opportunities than the first, but Connacht got the job done, Eoghan Masterson grounding a 54th minute try off the back of a clinical maul.
The contest ended on scrappy terms, Luca Redolfini was sin-binned for throwing frustrated punches and Connacht capitalised before he returned with the one flowing move of the half. Kieran Marmion sniped for a gap in his own 22 and, despite clear shouts of ‘get rid of it’ coming through the referee’s mic, he accelerated into Zebre territory before spinning an excellent pass to the right wing where Tiernan O’Halloran was in full flight and hungry for a score.
The visitors claimed a sixth try before the end, with (late replacement for Darragh Leader) Shane O’Leary’s effort pushing the Westerners over the 40-point mark and back into sixth place in the Pro12 – the final automatic Champions Cup qualification spot – before the Scarlets take on Cardiff tomorrow.
Scorers
Zebre
Try: B Leonard
Conv. L Orquera
Penalties: L Orquera
Connacht
Tries: J Cooney (2) M Healy, E Masterson, T O’Halloran, S O’Leary
Conv: J Carty (3), C McKeon (2)
Zebre
15 Dion Berryman
14 Giovanbattista Venditti
13 Matteo Pratichetti
12 Gonzalo Garcia
11 Michele Visentin
10 Luciano Orquera
9 Brendon Leonard
8 Andries Van Schalkwyk
7 Mauro Bergamasco CAPT.
6 Filippo Cristiano
5 Valerio Bernabò
4 Quintin Geldenhuys
3 Dario Chistolini
2 Andrea Manici
1 Matias Aguero
Replacements:
16 Oliviero Fabiani
17 Andrea De Marchi
18 Luca Redolfini
19 Andrei Mahu
20 Jacopo Sarto
21 Guglielmo Palazzani
22 Alberto Chillon
23 Mirco Bergamasco
Connacht
15. Tiernan O’Halloran
14. Danie Poolman
13. Robbie Henshaw
12. Bundee Aki
11. Matt Healy
10. Jack Carty
9. John Cooney
1. Denis Buckley
2. Tom McCartney
3. Rodney Ah You
4. Ultan Dillane
5. Aly Muldowney
6. John Muldoon CAPT
7. Eoghan Masterson
8. Eoin McKeon
Replacements:
16. Dave Heffernan
17. JP Cooney
18. Finlay Bealham
19. Andrew Browne
20. George Naoupu
21. Kieran Marmion
22. Conor McKeon
23. Shane O’Leary
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