Connacht feel right at home in Aviva Stadium drubbing of Ulster

Connacht's John Porch celebrates after scoring a try with Conor Fitzgerald. Picture: INPHO/James Crombie

Maybe Connacht should play all their games at Aviva Stadium? It’s now almost a decade ago since John Muldoon insisted the wind and rain at the Sportsground did them few favours as it didn’t suit the type of game they are trying to play. It certainly doesn’t suit the expansive and fast game which Andy Friend is drilling into his squad and it’s no coincidence that their results and performances have been better away from Galway.

And yet, nobody could really have envisaged that Connacht would take Ulster, the only side in the league with maximum four bonus point wins, apart in the manner in which they destroyed them on Lansdowne Road on Saturday evening. It’s Connacht’s biggest ever win outside of Galway against an Irish province.

The good cohort of Ulster fans in the crowd of 9,750 never got a chance to make an impact because they really had nothing to cheer about as a fired-up Connacht side snuffed them out from the outset, so forfeiting home advantage wasn’t an issue.

Instead, Connacht revelled in the superb surface and benign conditions and five tries to one leaves no room for argument, other than what Jack Carty has to do to be considered for an international recall? The in-form out-half in Ireland led from the front and marshalled his side with Andy Farrell watching in the stands.

Carty’s opposite number Billy Burns had a nightmare. He was lucky to escape censure for a clumsy tackle on Tom Daly and then had two passes intercepted for run-in tries for Connacht. But there was nothing fortuitous about this Connacht win and having let Munster off the hook the previous week when they fell to their third loss in four games, they needed to wrap this one up.

"Today was crucial, to have two wins from five rather than one from four,” said Andy Friend. “And also to deny Ulster a bonus point, given the conference we are in, it is going to be tight.

"We do not want to be that fourth team, we want to be the first, second or third team. That is why last week hurt so much. This win allows us to lead into the break in a better place.” Connacht had strong performers all over the pitch but flanker Conor Oliver led the way with an awesome display.

"He was just everywhere,” added Friend. “And everything he does, he does it with such intent and desire and effectiveness and energy. I thought he was brilliant but a few blokes sort of followed him in that second half. I said at half-time that if we had 14 more Conor Olivers we will win the game.”

Ulster weren’t able to punish Connacht ill-discipline in the opening quarter and they paid a price with young lock Niall Murray getting over for his first Connacht try, while Aussie Mack Hansen intercepted a pass from Burns to run in from distance.

Mack Hansen of Connacht scores his side's fifth try. Picture: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile

Ulster lock Alan O’Connor was binned for a shoulder charge into Dave Heffernan’s back, but Connacht also lost one of their locks Ultan Dillane when he conceded their 10th penalty, but they led 17-6 at the break.

John Porch finished a fine move down the right to extend Connacht’s lead after 62 minutes and Burns’ nightmare got worse when he had a second pass intercepted and Diarmuid Kilgallen ran from halfway to secure the bonus point, while Hansen got his second try at the death.

“Connacht were good,” said Ulster coach Dan McFarland, who has now lost four of seven clashes with his former side. “We couldn’t get the go forward in attack that we wanted. They did really well in the breakdown situation – Conor Oliver, especially.

"We put in some really good sets of defence but every time we had a chance in their half we made an error off a scrum or turned the ball over at the breakdown and allowed them back into our territory. That sums it up.”