Connacht Rugby ended their five-game losing run in the URC with a 22-12 win over Zebre Parma on Saturday evening.
Connacht took the lead through Prendergast after 17 minutes of play in the first half, with the captain scoring a wonderful individual try from 40 metres out. Receiving an offload on the run from Bolton out on the left touchline, the flanker bounced through the tackle of full-back Jacopo Trulla, before fending off two more efforts to touch down and score, as Hanrahan converted to make it 07-00.
Connacht was dominant at the scrum in the opening half, and that gave them the platform to extend their lead after seventeen minutes of play. Connacht's maul was stopped just short, but playing with a penalty advantage, Connacht moved the ball wide, where Hanrahan found Bolton in the right corner to score to extend Connacht's lead to 12-00.
Zebre got back into the game just before half time when Bautista Stavile just managed to ground the ball in the right corner. The try was made by Trulla’s wonderful chip-and-chase kick in midfield, which set up the devastating counterattack. Montemauri converted the try, cutting the gap to 12-07 at the break.
After a sloppy third quarter from both sides, Connacht reestablished their two-score lead when Hurley Langton drove his way over the line after nineteen minutes of play in the second half. Hanrahan converted to make it 19-07.
With 11 minutes to go, some great work down the left wing from Stavile and Simone Gesi almost resulted in a Zebre try.
Connacht saw out the final 10 minutes with one player short. A Hanrahan penalty three minutes from the end sealed a 22-12 win for Connacht.
Scorers:
Zebre Parma: Tries: Bautista Stavile, Jacopo Trulla. Conversion: Giovanni Montemauri.
Connacht Rugby: Tries: Cian Prendergast, Shayne Bolton, Shamus Hurley-Langton. Conversions: JJ Hanrahan (2). Penalty: JJ Hanrahan.
Teams
Zebre Parma: 15 Jacopo Trulla, 14 Scott Gregory, 13 Fetuli Paea, 12 Damiano Mazza, 11 Simone Gesi, 10 Giovanni Montemauri, 9 Alessandro Fusco, 8 Giovanni Licata, 7 Bautista Stavile, 6 Davide Ruggeri, 5 Leonard Krumov, 4 Matteo Canali, 3 Muhamed Hasa, 2 Luca Bigi, 1 Danilo Fischetti (c). Replacements: 16 Tommaso Di Bartolomeo, 17 Paolo Buonfiglio, 18 Juan Pitinari, 19 Guido Volpi, 20 Giacomo Ferrari, 21 Gonzalo Garcia, 22 Luca Morisi, 23 Enrico Lucchin.
Connacht Rugby: 15 Santiago Cordero, 14 Shayne Bolton, 13 David Hawkshaw, 12 Bundee Aki, 11 Finn Treacy, 10 JJ Hanrahan, 9 Ben Murphy, 8 Paul Boyle, 7 Shamus Hurley-Langton, 6 Cian Prendergast (c), 5 Joe Joyce, 4 Josh Murphy, 3 Finlay Bealham, 2 Dave Heffernan, 1 Denis Buckley. Replacements: 16 Eoin de Buitléar, 17 Jordan Duggan, 18 Jack Aungier, 19 Darragh Murray, 20 Sean Jansen, 21 Matthew Devine, 22 Cathal Forde, 23 Piers O’Conor.
