Connacht overcome Montpellier in European Challenge Cup

Connacht’s hopes of some play-off action ended six weeks ago, but they sent Montpellier packing with a four-try 26-13 win in a wet European Challenge Cup encounter tonight.

Hooker Adrian Flavin scored a first-half brace of tries to give the province a match-winning 19-6 half-time lead at the Sportsground.

Centre Gavin Williams scored late to put matters beyond doubt.

Bristol put one foot into the quarter-finals with a superb win over Bayonne in France.

The Guinness Premiership front-runners made it three from three in the tournament with the 38-17 victory, and only a shock loss at Newport Gwent Dragons in January will prevent Bristol from earning a top-two spot in the cup’s final eight.

Coach Richard Hill admitted things could not have gone better on the night.

He said: “We arrived wanting a win and a bonus point for four tries, but there was a gale-force wind and rain, so it didn’t look good.

“But we managed three tries in the first half and we had a great half-time speech from skipper Gareth Llewellyn, and then Shaun Perry scored our fourth try two minutes into the second half. Job done.

“We’ve put ourselves in a very good position to make the quarter-finals – the ball is in our court. We were aiming for a top-four finish so we could have a home quarter-final.

“We should beat Bayonne next week, so we then need to go to Newport and beat the Dragons.”

Former Wales international Craig Morgan scored the opening try to help Bristol to a 19-3 half-time lead, and further five-pointers from England scrum-half Perry and Morgan put the result beyond doubt before Bayonne hit back with two late scores.

Fellow English club Newcastle’s hopes of European silverware took a severe battering, with Montauban emerging 16-10 victors from a monumental forward battle at Stade de Sapiac.

With a loss to Brive already under their belt, the Falcons need a lot of results to go their way if they want to have a say in the Challenge Cup quarter-finals.

Prop Micky Ward was Newcastle’s unlikely try-scorer to keep his side in the game at 10-10 at half-time, but the weather prevented any free-flowing moves in the second spell and it was left to Romanian international Petre Mitu to kick the winning goals.

The Newport Gwent Dragons thumped Romanian side Bucuresti 66-10 at Rodney Parade to set up a pool decider against Bristol in the new year.

Winger Nathan Brew and Wales full-back Kevin Morgan scored try doubles, with forwards Adam Black, Ian Gough and Colin Charvis also crossing in an embarrassingly one-sided encounter.

In Pool Four, Glasgow kept the pressure on leaders Harlequins with a 51-7 mauling of Narbonne.

The Scots ran in six tries, with fly-half Dan Parks adding five conversions and three penalty goals.