Zebre second half comeback made Connacht dig deep for win

DIG DEEP: Late tries seal win for Connacht in Zebre. Pic: INPHO/Matteo Ciambelli

Zebre Parma 34 Connacht 57 

Hooker Dylan Tierney-Martin became the fourth Connacht player in a row to score a hat-trick but they had to dig deep in the closing stages to prevent an embarrassing loss to a Zebre side without a win since last April.

Connacht were coasting to victory when they opened up a 38-13 lead early in the second half but found themselves frantically defending a four-point lead in the closing stages as the Italians came in search of their first URC win of the campaign.

However, Connacht got their act together in the closing minutes to run in three tries and keep their hopes of a knockout place alive with a nine tries to four win in a bizarre game.

Connacht had the bonus point in the bag by half-time after running in five tries despite plenty of mistakes against a poor Zebre side.

But Connacht used the set-piece well, with all three of Tierney-Martin’s tries in the opening half coming after penalties to touch.

The 23-year old struck for his first after six minutes when skipper Jack Carty went down the left with a penalty and the out-half added the extras after Tierney-Martin touched down.

Zebre hit back and were rewarded with two penalties from out-half Tiff Eden to cut the gap to 7-6 after 14 minutes.

Tierney-Martin settled Connacht with his second try, a replica of the opening score down the left, after 24 minutes and he completed his hat-trick three minutes later, this time after Carty found touch on the right.

Experienced full-back Tiernan O’Halloran caught out the sleepy home defence when he took a quick lineout to Niall Murray before scrum-half Caolin Blade put O’Halloran over for the bonus point eight minutes from the break.

Connacht failed to deal with the restart and were punished when Simone Gesi scored in the left corner, with Eden’s good conversion from the left cutting the gap to 24-13.

However, Connacht finished the half strongly with O’Halloran turning provider to send Blade over for his eighth try of the season, with Carty’s conversion making it 31-13 at the interval.

Winger Diarmuid Kilgallen drove through two tacklers to score in the right corner four minutes after the restart, with Carty’s conversion pushing the lead out to 38-13.

But they then took their foot off the pedal and Zebre, without a win since last April, clawed their way back and punished a disorganized and shoddy Connacht side by running in three converted tries despite a malfunctioning lineout.

Enrico Cronje got the Italians moving after 46 minutes before Australian native Josh Furno, the former Italian lock, got over when his No.8 Giovanni Licata created the opening with the initial drive. Connacht struggled to get control of proceedings and an embarrassing defeat looked on the cards when Gesi slipped through for his second try, with Eden’s conversion cutting the gap to 38-34 with 18 minutes left.

However, Connacht got their act together in the closing stages and spared their blushes with three tries in the closing seven minutes from three replacements. Adam Byrne got his third try in six appearances to make the game safe before Kieran Marmion intercepted from deep to score, while replacement hooker Eoin de Buitlèar crowned his debut with a try in the final play of a strange game.

Scorers Zebre Parma: Tries: S Gesi (2), E Cronje, J Furno. Cons: T Eden (4). Pens: Eden (2).

Scorers Connacht: Tries: D Tierney-Martin (3), T O’Halloran, C Blade, D Kilgallen, A Byrne, K Marmion, E de Buitlèar. Cons: J Carty (6).

Zebre Parma: L Pani (A Rizzi 68); K van Wyk (R Kriel 52), E Cronjé, E Lucchin (capt.), S Gesi; T Eden, C Cook (R Jelic 66); L Rizzoli (P Buonfiglio 52), M Manfredi (G Ribaldi 45), M Nocera (M Nasa 54); L Krumov, J Furno (J uys 65); L Andreani, M Kvesic, G Licata (D Ruggeri 58).

Connacht: T O'Halloran; D Kilgallen (A Byrne 58), T Farrell, C Forde (T Daly 66), J Porch; J Carty (C), C Blade (K Marmion 58); D Buckley (J Duggan 62), D Tierney-Martin (E de Buitlèar 62), J Aungier (S Illo 62); J Murphy (D Murray 62), N Murray; C Prendergast (Hurley-Langton 77), C Oliver (S Hurley-Langton 51-65), J Butler.

Referee: B Whitehouse (Wales).