Four-Try Healy In Electric Form As Connacht Hammer Brive

Connacht were relentless at times in the second half as they raced to a 55-10 bonus point victory over Brive, with winger Matt Healy delighting the 5,572-strong Sportsground crowd with a four-try haul.

The westerners have galloped seven points clear at the top of Challenge Cup Pool 5, following on from second-placed Worcester’s surprise loss away to Oyonnax. They have hit a level of consistency in Europe that they have been sorely lacking in the GUINNESS PRO14, and the hope is that Kieran Keane’s men can take this free-scoring form into the festive interprovincials.

Jack Carty, who starred in last Saturday’s 38-31 bonus point success in Brive, and replacements Kieran Marmion and Tom Farrell also crossed the whitewash in today’s reverse fixture, while out-half Carty also kicked immaculately with a perfect nine-out-of-nine for a 20-point haul from the tee.

Captained by young number 8 Eoghan Masterson for the second time in this season’s European campaign, Connacht seized the initiative inside five minutes. Man-of-the-match Matt Healy acrobatically gathered Carty’s cross-field kick, evading the clutches of Gaetan Germain and tiptoeing up the left touchline to nip past Arnaud Mignardi’s despairing tackle and run in closer to the posts.

Carty converted the try and then tagged on a 12th minute penalty, but the scores soon dried up as Brive, with a traditionally big pack, made the exchanges increasingly physical. Both defences took some punishment and Connacht had some near misses with Cian Kelleher putting a foot in touch and an Healy effort resulting in a five-metre scrum rather than a try.

James Mitchell was providing a slick service on his first start for the province, but the Brive forwards built up a head of steam on the half hour mark, gaining good ground in a maul before full-back Germain was fed to score in the left corner. He swung over an excellent conversion with his right boot to make it a three-point game.

Carty masterminded a quick-fire response from the hosts, breaking through from Shane Delahunt’s excellent offload to notch his second try in the space of a week. The conversion followed before Germain ended the first half’s scoring with a well-struck penalty for a 17-10 scoreline.

There was only one team in it after the break, though, as Connacht went up through the gears and produced some sparkling phases in attack. A Carty penalty, which came on the back of a terrific run by Bundee Aki, restored the 10-point buffer, and Healy had too much pace for the Brive defence when he scorched over from 35 metres out, having taken an inside pass by James Connolly off the back of a 49th-minute lineout.

The routine conversion from Carty pushed the margin out to 27-10, and Keane’s charges had Brive under increasing pressure after their hooker Mike Tadjer was sin-binned. A further scrum penalty saw them pin the French outfit back in search of the bonus point and it arrived in the 57th minute when Healy hoovered up the ground in pursuit of Pita Ahki’s kick through.

Connacht began the final quarter with a 41-10 advantage after Farrell evaded two tackles on a superb break from just outside the province’s 22, and his well-timed offload sent fellow replacement Marmion darting over from 30 metres out. The conversion, to the left of the posts, was drilled home by the unerring Carty.

There was no sense of Connacht taking their foot off the gas as centre Ahki collected a chip inside his own half and linked with Darragh Leader, who unleashed Healy to scurry past the covering Thomas Laranjeira and cap off his tremendous four-try tally, with 11 minutes remaining. With tired bodies and mismatches to exploit, they duly passed the half-century mark.

Farrell completed the seven-try rout with a fine finish in the 74th minute, having been set up by a cross-field kick by Carty whose right boot fittingly had the final say with another crisply-struck conversion. Healy and Carty were the scoring stars with a tremendous 45 points between them.

It was certainly a day to remember for the jet-heeled Healy who became the first player to score four tries in a European match for an Irish province. The 28-year-old, who was capped by Ireland during the 2016 summer tour to South Africa, has now scored 19 tries in 25 Champions Cup and Challenge Cup appearances.

Giving his reaction afterwards, Connacht head coach Keane said: “Everybody had a good day. The pack played well. The backs had their moments. There was some delightful ambition being shown. It just shows they’re starting to enjoy themselves and we’re reaping the rewards from that.

“They’re feeling good about themselves. I know we’re not world beaters in some people’s eyes but it’s nice to see the boys express themselves and enjoy what they’re doing. I think everything went our way but we made our own luck which was pleasing to see. That Brive side are a very big physical outfit and Ulster are no different.

“Let’s see how it rolls (for next Saturday’s game at home to Ulster). We’ll prepare in the same manner as we’ve always done. I think the fact that it’s an interpro, it’ll bring its own special atmosphere. We’re at home. I think people will come and that’ll make it great and the boys will really respond.

“We haven’t been really bad in my opinion as it’s been reported. We haven’t been trashed and we haven’t been put to the sword. This is just part of the stepping stones. We’ve got three interpros to go over the Christmas spell and this will give us a lot of confidence going into those.”