Connacht notched their first points of the 2010/11 Magners League campaign with an impressive bonus point win against the Newport Gwent Dragons at the Sportsground on Saturday evening.
Connacht got off to a flying start with Man of the Match Ray Ofisa scoring under the posts after slick hands from Captain Frank Murphy, Ian Keatley left Niva Ta’auso through a gap in the Dragons defense. Ian Keatley added the extras. Keatley converted two penalties and a Sean Cronin try before the break as Connacht dominated play. The Connacht pack disrupted several Dragons’ scrums and the back line capitalised on the clean ball supplied with Fionn Carr and Keith Matthews making useful yards on several occasions. It didn’t all go the way of the home side however, Ezra Taylor spending 10 minutes in the sin-bin for a high tackle. He was joined shortly after by Dragons skipper Luke Charteris for repeat infringements.
The Dragons started off the better of the two sides after the break, Matthew Jones adding to his three first half penalties after eight minutes and when Gavin Duffy was sin-binned after making a try-saving tackle on Luke Charteris, Referee James Jones deemed the infringement as deliberate, things were swinging the way of the Welshmen. Connacht regrouped and Ian Keatley kept the scoreboard ticking over in Connacht’s favour with two penalties, a conversion of a penalty try and a conversion of his own try to bring his tally to twenty five points for the day. The Dragons scored a consolation try through Will Harries with minutes to go but it was too little too late and the final score read Connacht 40 Dragons 17.
This is the start Connacht had hoped for and the addition of the bonus point, and the manner in which it was achieved, will be a huge boost to confidence as Connacht travel to the Scarlets next week and Glasgow the following week.
Connacht Team: Gavin Duffy, Troy Nathan, Niva Ta’auso, Keith Matthews, Fionn Carr, Ian Keatley, Frank Murphy, Brett  Wilkinson, Sean Cronin, Jamie Hagan, Michael Swift, Bernie Upton, Michael McCarthy, Ray Ofisa, Ezra Taylor.
Replacements: Adrian Flavin (Cronin 56mins), Ronan Loughney (Wilkinson 56mins), Mike McComish (McCarthy 56mins), Dave Nolan (Taylor 58mins), Rob Sweeney (Hagan 69mins), Cillian Willis (Murphy 63mins), Miah Nikora (Keatley 69mins), Tiernan O’Halloran (Duffy 69mins

Photographs (C) www.inpho.ie