Connacht went down 21-9 to Cardiff Blues at Cardiff City Stadium on Sunday afternoon when a failure to turn an abundance of possession into scores cost dearly.

Two tries before the break from Cardiff winger Tom James undid a lot good work by Connacht in the opening half as they trailed 18-3 at half-time.

An Ian Keatley penalty was all Connacht had to show for their efforts.

Keatley added two more penalties to reduce the deficit to 18-9 going into the final quarter but Ben Blair added his third penalty to put a bonus point out of range for Connacht in a frustrating encounter.