Connacht ease to bonus point victory over Dragons

Three tries in 10 minutes of the first half set Connacht up for a bonus point victory over Dragons in the Sportsground. James Cannon, Darragh Leader and Colby Fainga’a all scored their first tries of the season as Connacht eased to victory over the Welsh side.

 

With Tom McCartney crossing the try line just before half time and Tom Farrell doing likewise in the second half, the result of this game never really looked in doubt.

 

To Dragons credit, they opened well and within the first 20 minutes had three excellent try scoring opportunities. However, unforced errors denied them, and Connacht took full advantage when they hit their purple patch with Cannon’s try on 27 minutes.

 

The result sees Connacht go into the November break with four wins from eight games in the Pro14 and well in contention for the Champions Cup qualification spot. After the two week break, Andy Friend’s side travel to South Africa to take on the Southern Kings and Toyota Cheetahs at the end of November.

 

Connacht: 15. Tiernan O’Halloran; 14. Darragh Leader (23. Eoin Griffin 66’), 13. Kyle Godwin, 12. Tom Farrell, 11. Colm De Buitlear; 10. David Horwitz (22. Jack Carty 59’, 9. Kieran Marmion (21. Caolin Blade 47’); 1. Denis Buckley (17. Matthew Burke 66’), 2. Tom McCartney (16. Shane Delahunt 51’), 3. Conor Carey (18. Conan O’Donnell ’19); 4. Ultan Dillane, 5. James Cannon (19. Joe Maksymiw 66’); 6. Sean O’Brien, 7. Colby Fainga’a, 8. Jarrad Butler (20. James Connolly 73’).

 

Dragons: 15. Jordan Williams (22. Jack Dixon 75’); 14. Dafydd Howells (23. Adam Warren 41’), 13. Hallam Amos, 12. Jarryd Sage, 11. Will Talbot-Davies; 10. Jason Tovey, 9. Rhodri Williams (21. Tavis Knoyle 57’); 1. Brok Harris (17. Aaron Jarvis, 66’), 2. Richard Hibbard (16. Rhys Lawrence 71’), 3. Lloyd Fairbrother; 4. Joe Davies (19. James Thomas 41’), 5. Lewis Evans; 6. Harrison Keddie (20. Huw Taylor 66’), 7. Nic Cudd, 8. Taine Basham