Four of the best for Matt Healy as Connacht thrash Brive

Connacht 55 Brive 10

Connacht answered Kieran Keane’s call for consistency with a seven-try hammering of Brive in Saturday’s Challenge Cup fixture at the Galway Sportsground.

Ahead 17-7 at the break, Connacht cut loose in the second half with five more tries, four from man of the match Matt Healy. It puts Connacht clearly in top spot of pool five, following Worcester’s unexpected defeat to Onnayax.

In a dominant opening period, Connacht were 10 points up after 12 minutes, Matt Healy scoring the opening try after five minutes from a superb cross-field kick from outhalf Jack Carty. The winger had it all to do, but after his acrobatics to keep the ball in play, he escaped the attempted tackle of fullback Gaetan Germain and raced through from 18 metres to touch down. Carty added the extras and a penalty after 12 minutes to put his side into a 10-0 lead.

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The home side continued to keep Brive pinned inside their own half, but they failed to capitalise on possession as the game became tetchy and increasingly physical. It worked in the visitors’ favour, and although Connacht managed to chop down an attempted Brive maul, Germain eventually grabbed a try and converted after 29 minutes.

Connacht’s riposte was swift. Good work from Eoghan Masterson going forward and a delightful off load from Shane Hunt, provided Carty with another chance, and he raced in from 10 minutes to score his second try in two weeks, adding the conversion for a 17-7 lead.

Brive closed the gap to 17-10 before the break after profiting from a poor restart, but thereafter the game was controlled by Kieran Keane’s side. A Carty penalty shortly after the restart was followed by three tries, Matt Healy bagging two for his hat-trick and replacement Kieran Marmion on his introduction after a super line-break from Tom Farrell.

When Pita Ahki raced onto a chip inside the Connacht half, Healy scored his fourth, supplied by Leader. Farrell finished the try fest, courtesy of another super Carty crossfield kick, and the Connacht outhalf, without a missed kick all evening, completed his haul of 25 points.

Yellow card: Brive M Tadjer (52m),

Connacht: D Leader; C Kelleher, P Ahki, B Aki, M Healy; J Carty, J Mitchell; D Buckley, S Delahunt, F Bealham, U Dillane, Q Roux, C Gallagher, J Connolly, E Masterson (c). Replacements: P McCabe for Buckley (35) ,T McCartney for Delahunt and C Carey for Bealham (45), J Cannon for Dillane (64), K Marmion, for Mitchell (58), T Farrell for Aki (58).

Brive: G Germain; N Megdoud, A Mignardi (c), B Petre, F Romanet; M Ugalde, F Cazenave; V Devisme, M Tadjer, D Bamba, J Snyman, J Uys, P Narisia, D Waqaniborutu, E Herjean. Replacements: S Koyamaibole for Narisa (HT), L Martin for Devise and J Johnston for Bamba (45), G Namy for Romanet (51), T Laranjeira for Germain (59), J Ledevedec for Snyman (67), D Delarue for Cazenave (67).

Referee: Ian Tempest (England)