Connacht end six game losing run with hard fought win over Zebre

WIN: Connacht end their season with a win as they overcame a stubborn Zebre. Pic: ©INPHO/Roberto Bregani

URC: Zebre 12 Connacht 22

Connacht have a lot of work to do during the summer off the field to get their house in order but at least they will head into the off-season on the back of a badly needed win after carving out victory in Parma.

It was their first win in six URC games sees them finish 13th in the table, nine points off the qualification places with just six wins from 18 league games.

Connacht, having enjoyed 65% possession, led 12-7 at the break but should have been much further ahead after dominating large parts of the opening half at Stadio Lanfranchi.

It was obvious from the outside that while this was a dead rubber Connacht were fired-up to make an impression with skipper Cian Prendergast leading the charge.

It was appropriate then that it was the Kildare native who finally broke the deadlock after 17 minutes when he bumped through one tackle, slipped through another and fended off a try effort down the left to score after good work by David Hawkshaw and Finn Treacy.

JJ Hanrahan added the extra points from the wing and with Connacht enjoying dominance in the scrum where Finlay Bealham was superb, they pushed forward from there.

A penalty advantage from a scrum gave them the platform for their second try and quick hands from Hanrahan after scrum-half Ben Murphy went wide close to the lines sent Shayne Bolton over in the right corner after 29 minutes to make it 12-0.

But Zebre got a foothold. Out-half Giovanni Montemauri hit the left post with a penalty from 35 metres two minutes later, but they began to build the phases and work their way into the game.

And they struck two minutes from the break, working the ball from deep before Argentine flanker Bautista Stavile finished in the right corner despite the best efforts of Treacy to prevent him grounding the ball. Montemauri landed a superb conversion from the touchline to leave five between them at the interval.

Connacht got on top again after the restart but despite some good probing runs from Ben Murphy, interval replacement Cathal Forde and winger Treacy, they were unable to increase their lead during the third quarter.

But the pressure eventually told and with penalty advantage after a lineout in the right corner Shamus Hurley-Langton found a gap to barge through and score, with Hanrahan adding the conversion to make it 19-7 after 62 minutes.

However, a yellow card to replacement scrum-half Matthew Devine for an offside infringement as Zebre went end to end through winger Simone Gesi and Stavile, was followed by a try from full-back Jacopo Trulla in the right corner with ten minutes remaining.

That ensured a nervous finish for Connacht but a penalty from Hanrahan, awarded the man of the match in his final game for Connacht before returning to Munster, two minutes from time ensured Connacht go into the summer on a winning note.

ZEBRE: J Trulla; S Gregory (G Garcia 57), F Paea, D Mazza (E Lucchin 61), S Gesi; G Montemauri (L Morisi 76), A Fusco; D Fischetti (c) (P Buonfiglio 65), L Bigi (T Di Bartolomeo 48), M Hasa (J Pitinari 54); M Canali (G Volpi 67), L Krumov; D Ruggeri (G Ferrari 60), B Stavile, G Licata.

CONNACHT: S Cordero; S Bolton, D Hawkshaw (C Forde half-time), B Aki, F Treacy (P O’Conor 61); JJ Hanrahan, B Murphy (M Devine 64); D Buckley (J Duggan 61), D Heffernan, F Bealham (J Aungier 50); J Murphy, J Joyce (D Murray 42); C Prendergast (c), S Hurley-Langton, P Boyle (S Jansen 51).

Referee: Hollie Davidson (Scotland).