Paul Boyle's hat trick leads Connacht to big Champions Cup win over Black Lion

HAT TRICK HERO: Paul Boyle breaks clear during the EPCR Challenge Cup match between Connacht and Black Lion. Pic: Tyler Miller/Sportsfile.

Connacht 52 Black Lion 0

Skipper Paul Boyle led the way with a first half hat-trick as Connacht got their Challenge Cup campaign back on track.

Boyle became the 12th Connacht player to score a hat-trick in this competition and he managed to do it by the break as Stuart Lancaster’s side showed a ruthlessness that was absent in Bridgend last weekend.

Connacht, having blown a 21-0 defeat away to Ospreys on the opening weekend, got the job done by half-time this time with six tries helping them build a 38-0 interval lead in the Galway wind and rain at Dexcom Stadium.

Boyle got them off the mark after just 54 seconds and he had his hat-trick in the bag by the 28th minute when he secured the bonus point after Caolin Blade had also crossed earlier.

They pushed on from there to the break with tighthead Sam Illo scoring after a break by Boyle when Cathal Forde was the linkman and the centre also supplied the final pass for winger Shayne Bolton to score down the left before the break.

Connacht replaced their front row after 48 minutes, with Kildare native Billy Bohan coming on for his debut and 130kg tighthead Fiachna Barrett from Mayo winning his fourth cap. They won penalties in their first two scrums, the first on a Georgian put-in, with Blade getting his second try from the second to push the lead out to 45-0 after 53 minutes.

Full-back Luka Kakhoidze, who played against the Irish U-20s last summer, did most to try inspire Black Lion but they were outclassed on the night as they fell to the biggest defeat in their third year in the competition.

Connacht, who will conclude their pool with a trip to Montpellier and then host another Top 14 side Montabaun in their final pool match were full of running to the end on a night when new signing Sam Gilbert converted six tries, including a second from Bolton 13 minutes from time after a break from debutant prop Bohan.

Scorers for Connacht: Tries: P Boyle (3), S Bolton (2), C Blade (2), S Illo. Cons: S Gilbert (6).

Connacht: S Gilbert; C Mullins, H Gavin, C Forde (D Hawkshaw 65), S Bolton; J Carty (H West 55), C Blade (M Devine 55); J Duggan (B Bohan 48), D Heffernan (D Tierney-Martin 48), S Illo (F Barrett 48); D Murray (J Joyce half-time), N Murray; S O’Brien, S Hurley-Langton (J Murphy 51), P Boyle (c).

Black Lion: L Takaishvili; A Tabutsadze, D Tapladze, T Kakhoidze (Z Lutidze 55), S Aptsiauri (S Todua 60); L Tsirekidze, T Peranidze (G Spenderashvili 65); N Khatiashvili (Vasil Kakovin 33), I Kvatadze (S Mamukashvili 60-70), K Darbaidze; M Babunashvili (c), D Epremidze; L Tsikhistavi (G Kervalishvili 22), G Tsutskiridze, G Sinauridze.

Referee: Anthony Woodthorpe (England).