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F. Bealham (8'), S. Jansen (13'), C. Forde (17'), S. Gilbert (22'), C. Prendergast (30'), D. Heffernan (54', 79'), H. West (67')
Tries
G. Ferrari (4'), J. Botturi (27'), M. Belloni (32'), G. Ribaldi (70'), B. Stavile (76')
C. Frawley (8', 18', 23', 30')
Conversions
G. Montemauri (28')
This told us that Connacht can still overwhelm a visitor with variety and weight when they get repeat entries, and that they don’t need to be perfect to rack up a score. It also told us that Zebre have genuine strike when the game loosens, yet fall apart too easily within 10 metres of their own line. Five tries conceded and four more lineouts lost will do that to you in Galway.
Connacht’s shape in phase looked freer than a fortnight ago in Glasgow. They mixed midfield carries with screens to the edge, then, crucially, finished. The tight five didn’t just clear rucks; they carried for points. When your prop opens the account and your hooker closes it, you’ve turned pressure into something tangible. The margin was big, yes, but not a picture of total control. Zebre crossed five times themselves. The difference was what happened in the red zone: Connacht hammered it, Zebre blinked.
The contest really tilted on how the hosts handled the periods either side of the break. Zebre had found holes and picked off two first-half scores through Giacomo Ferrari and Jacopo Botturi, plus a sharp finish from Mirko Belloni, but Connacht had already stacked points by then and were content to trade if they were cashing sevens. After the interval the next meaningful visit to the 22 ended with a maul and a thump: Dave Heffernan over on 54 minutes. That shoved the game into the territory where chasing sides reach for miracle balls and pay for them.
Pick the thread through Connacht’s scoring and you keep hitting the same ideas: carry tight, play flat, punish penalties. Finlay Bealham set the tone with his early try, a proper tighthead’s finish after the heavies had softened the fringe. Sean Jansen gave them more short-range punch soon after, then Cathal Forde and Sam Gilbert cashed the width when Zebre’s inside shoulders started sitting down. Cian Prendergast was exactly what they’ve missed in recent weeks: a back-row who alternates between winning the gain line and picking the right moment to jackal. His score on the half hour came off good detail — latch, leg drive, no fuss.
All of that was framed by calm from ten. Ciaran Frawley steered them with tempo and took the simple threes on offer from the tee in the first half to bank a lead that changed how Zebre had to defend. By the time Harry West cut through off a set strike on 67 minutes, his earlier line running had already bent the game. West’s footwork and timing repeatedly stressed the B channel; he got his due with the finish.
What made it stick was set piece and discipline. Connacht’s lineout functioned cleanly and gave them clean launch, while Zebre coughed up eight penalties to four and couldn’t contest without infringing near their own line. When Heffernan added his second in the final minute, it just underlined the theme: same corner, same problems for the visitors.
CARRIES
CLEAN BREAKS
TACKLE
TACKLES MISSED
TURNOVERS WON
PENALTIES CONCEDED
POSSESSION
SCRUMS
LINEOUTS
There was more than enough from Zebre to make Connacht twitch. Botturi’s try came from a punch off nine that ricocheted into front-foot ball, and Belloni’s finish showed they can win footraces when the picture is broken. The bench brought a late surge too; Giampietro Ribaldi and Bautista Stavile both crossed in the final quarter. That’s not window dressing — it flagged where Connacht’s edge defence and post-tackle spacing still fray. Conceding five tries at home is a red mark no matter how much you score.
But Zebre’s issues around the goal line were glaring. They were too soft on the latch and lost collisions when Connacht picked and went. On the few occasions they did slow the ball, they couldn’t string exits together because the next moment was a crooked throw or a penalty. The loose tackling count in the outside backs didn’t help either; once Connacht got the ball to Finn Treacy and West in stride, Zebre were clawing backwards. That, far more than any moment of individual brilliance, is why the gap ballooned.
If you’re Connacht, you bottle the variety. Tighthead to full-back, everyone contributed to gain-line wins and clean breaks, and the lineout accuracy was a clear step up from that Glasgow defeat. The work-on is obvious: too many soft shoulders in midfield and too many broken-field concessions. Leinster won’t be as forgiving if you slip five. The good news is that the scrum-half picture looks healthy — Colm Reilly managed the night well and Caolin Blade added snap off the bench — and the maul is back earning you tries, not just penalties.
Zebre head to Newport with proof they can score against anyone and a blunt reminder that URC games are won at five metres. They’ve got athletes and they’ve got ambition; what they lack is slow-ball resistance and a maul stop. Clean that up and those midfield breaks start to matter. Don’t, and even an evening with five tries turns into another long one on the scoreboard.
