A 65th-minute penalty try handed Connacht their fourth consecutive Guinness PRO12 win as they leapfrogged Cardiff Blues into seventh with a 33-3 win over Zebre at the Sportsground. Pat Lam’s side are on their longest unbeaten streak of the season and are now within two points of Glasgow Warriors and the top six. Naulia Dawai and Niyi Adeolokun had given Connacht a healthy 12-0 advantage at the break, but when Guglielmo Palazzani struck an early second-half penalty, Zebre hinted at a comeback. Instead a sublime break from Kieran Marmion led to a try for John Muldoon before a penalty try for collapsing a maul took Connacht 26-3 in front and then Lewis Stevenson grabbed try number five. The reigning Guinness PRO12 Champions had lost just once at the Sportsground in their last nine matches and they started with the swagger of a side in fine form. In atrocious weather, Adeolokun collected a fine wide pass from debutant Steve Crosbie to cross after seven minutes, with Cooney knocking over the conversion for a 7-0 lead. With Connacht pushing for a second, they twice spilled the ball in the slippery conditions before a breakthrough nearly came through Eoin McKeon, only to be pulled back for obstruction. But Fijian openside Dawai finished well out wide, stepping and fending the cover-tackler to dive over the whitewash before Cooney’s conversion bounced out off the post. Zebre responded admirably, working their way into the Connacht 22-metre line and coming close with a well-set driving maul, but when the ball was moved wide a chip went astray and with it a hard-earned penalty advantage. That returned the initiative to Connacht and twice they kicked to the corner in search of a third try t0 no avail, leaving the champions 12-0 ahead at the break. Marmion replaced Cooney at half-time, but it was Zebre’s influential No. 9 Palazzani who got the second half’s first points, slotting a penalty on 44 minutes to close the gap. But Connacht’s Ireland No 9 made a mark of his own with an hour gone, dummying superbly to break into the Zebre 22 from inside his half. When Zebre strayed offside a minute later, Muldoon – on as a replacement for long-term injury absentee Eoghan Masterson – capitalised on a smartly-taken tap penalty underneath the Zebre posts to barrel over. Tiernan O’Halloran added the extras and as the pressure upon Zebre started to mount, they handed Connacht the bonus point with a collapsed maul before Craig Ronaldson put Stevenson over after some quick-thinking from a penalty. Guinness PRO12 Final 2017, 27th May, Aviva Stadium, Dublin. Ticket Information: Fans can still avail of an exclusive number of €35 tickets. Book via www.ticketmaster.ie. Further information: www.pro12rugby.com/final
