Connacht run riot with 12 try demolition of hapless visitors

Connacht 83Cavalieri Prato 7

Rob Murphy

A record scoreline saw Connacht conclude their Amlin Challenge Cup campaign on somewhat of a high note on Saturday night as the westerners made it two wins in succession and exacted a small bit of revenge for their opening round defeat away to the Italians.

The home side managed a total of 12 tries, including a hat trick for Brian Tuohy and a brace for Niva Ta’auso on a night when the Italians were completely outclassed.

Games like are hardly worth noting as little can be said for the visitors defending but there were some positives away from the facile tries. First off, Gavin Duffy and Ray Ofisa marked their returns from long term injuries with good displays.

Ofisa was a lively presence in the final half hour after coming on as a replacement, while Duffy got through the 80 minutes unscathed and will hope now to push on with the Irish squad in the coming weeks. Both will be key components for Connacht in the coming months.

Connacht’s professionalism in the game was also pleasing to see, they rarely wavered, remained focused direct and inventive throughout, keeping ball in hand after a shaky start and exploiting the multitude of gaps on offer. A strong home debut from Shane Conneely to go with his fine display in Bayonne was another positive. 

Connacht scored six first half tries in total and could have had more against a Prato side that were desperately poor in defence in the opening half. The games opening try came from a crossfield kick from Ian Keatley tapped down by Duffy into the arms of Tuohy who scored in the corner on five minutes.

For more, read this week's Connacht Sentinel.