Connacht ‘wins ugly’ to sit pretty at top of Pro 12 table

Zebre 34 Connacht 51

Connacht, still sitting on top of the Pro 12 table, are preparing to step it up as the season becomes considerably tougher in the next month.

With 15 points from their last three games, Connacht can afford to give themselves a pat on the back, but coach Pat Lam says there is no room to get carried away with Ospreys next on the agenda.

“It is exciting times, and we are looking forward to a big crowd at the Sportsground against a team that is on the rise. Ospreys are 12 points off us, but they are always a tough team, we always struggle with them, so we will have a good week’s training.”

Injuries

Sidelined after Connacht’s victory against Zebre is Eoghan Masterson, with a leg injury. It is “a serious concern”, but hopes are high Jake Heenan (hip) and Craig Ronaldson (knee) will be fit.

"It was a rude awakening for the boys going from bog and mud in Galway to the Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi. There are a lot of bumps and bruises, and we will have to tighten up in a number of areas.

“We got the outcome with the five points, but certainly there were a lot of lessons and work-ons. John Muldoon nailed it when he said in the training rooms, good teams win ugly, and the boys are doing that. Yes, we are pretty proud of the outcome when we haven’t played well, but we are not getting carried away.”

Ten wins equals last year’s tally, while Connacht continue to lead the try-scoring stakes with 42 – eight ahead of Ulster and Cardiff.

“We have stayed in the top four all season – the only team that hasn’t dropped out, but we realise it doesn’t count for anything come May. We have a long way to go yet.”

Saturday's performance in Parma was not the most clinically efficient, but Connacht still finished with six tries. Man of the match Matt Healy bagged a hat-trick, fellow winger Niyi Adeolokun crossed for two in the second half, and scrumhalf Kieran Marmion completed the tally.

Both sides traded early penalties before Connacht struck with two tries in five minutes. Conversions gave the visitors a 17-3 lead. Zebre dominated the opening half, but failed to score again until the 37th minute, when a converted try closed the gap to 10-17. The visitors took control in the second half, though it was not until Adeolokun added two tries that Connacht could put the game beyond Zebre’s reach.

ZEBRE: M Muliaina; G Toniolatti, G Bisegni M Pratichetti, K Van Zyl; K Haimona, L Burgess; B Postiglioni, O Fabiani, D Chistolini; G Koegelenberg, M Bortolami (capt); E Caffini, J Meyer, A Van Schalkwyk.

Replacements: U Beyers for Muliaina (50 mins), P Ceccearelli for Chistolini (55 mins), T Boni for Bisegni and F Ruzza for Caffini (both 57 mins), A De Marchi for Postiglioni (59 mins), F Christiano for van Schalkwyk (65 mins), M Panunzi for Burgess (67 mins), E Coria for Fabiani (74 mins).

CONNACT: T O'Halloran, N Adeolokun, B Aki, C Ronaldson, M Healy, A MacGinty, K Marmion, D Buckley, F Bealham, B Marshall, A Muldowney, J Muldoon (cpt), J Heenan, E Masterson.

Replacements: E Masterson for Heenan (25m), G Naoupu for Masterson (45m), P Robb for Ronaldson (49m), C Blade for Marmion, Ah You for Bealham and R Loughney for Buckley (59m),D Heffernan for Marshall (60), D Poolman for O'Halloran (72).

Referee: G Conway (Ireland)