Picture: © www.inpho.ie 

In the process, Connacht maintained their remarkable record of winning their opening match every year since this competition began in 2001.

The hard work came from a spirited Connacht pack, ably led by Andrew Farley who wore down Borders' all-Scottish international pack.

And with Mark McHugh, captain on the night, outstanding at out-half, Connacht had the game's primary play-maker.

Connacht, having taking a pummelling up front in the opening ten minutes from the powerful Borders pack, were hanging on to a 19-15 lead in the closing stages when Paul Warwick took matters into his own hand.

Playing at outside centre, Warwick landed a drop goal with his weaker left-foot from 25 metres to put some daylight between the sides.

And then in stoppage time he chased his own kick from half way, to dive in beside the posts and seal a win.

Borders, back in the Heineken Cup for the second time, had been busy on the transfer front during the close season and started with twelve internationals. Initially that power and class told as the home side dominated possession and took the game to Connacht.

But Connacht are well used to having to defend stoutly against vaunted opposition and a quarter hour of possession yielded just two penalties from full-back Calum McRae.

McHugh levelled with two penalties as Connacht battled back into the game.

McRae gave Borders, who have never won their opening game, an interval lead, but Connacht got a glorious start to the second-half.

Conor McPhillips set the move in motion down the right with an excellent grubber which forced Gary Law to concede touch ten metres out.

Farley won the lineout and after Connacht drove to within a metre, Keane and McHugh combined to send Gavin Williams (son of All Blacks legend Brian) in for his first try for Connacht since joining last year.

McHugh added the points to make it 13-9 for Connacht before an exchange of penalties towards the end of the third quarter.

Another Borders penalty reduced the deficit to 16-15 with 15 minutes remaining, but Connacht had plenty in the tank and dominated from there.

McHugh crowned an excellent display with his fourth penalty after 68 minutes before Warwick sealed the issue in the dying moments of a game watched by 1289 supporters.

Scorers:

Border Reivers:

Pens: McRae (5)

Connacht:

Tries: Williams, Warwick

Cons: McHugh (2)

Pens: McHugh (4)

Drop goal: Warwick

Teams: 

Border Reivers: C MacRae; S Danielli, B MacDougall, G Law, N de Luca; G Townsend, C Cusiter; G Kerr, R Ford, B Douglas; C Hamilton, S Grimes; K Brown, S Gray, R Beattie.

Replacements: O Palepoi for Hamilton, 47 mins; A Miller for Gray, 47 mins; E Kalmen for Kerr, 49 mins; S Scott for Ford, 62 mins; S Jones for Townsend, 68 mins; J Dalziel for Beattie, 70 mins.

Connacht: M Mostyn; D Yapp, P Warwick, G Williams, C McPhillips; M McHugh, C Keane; B Wilkinson, A Flavin, S Knoop; D Gannon, A Farley; J Muldoon, M Lacey, C Rigney.

Replacement: J Fogarty for Flavin, 67 mins.

Referee: T Hayes (Wales).