Details
| Date | Time | Competition | Season |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14 January 2023 | 5:30 pm | EPCR Challenge Cup | 2022/23 |
Match Report
Connacht Extend Unbeaten Run in Challenge Cup In Comfortable Fashion
A hat-trick of tries from Alex Wooton saw Connacht claim a comprehensive win over Brive at the Sportsground in Pool A of the Challenge Cup.
The win books the Westerners place in the knock-out stages of the competition. It was a terrific performance from Connacht. Brive offered very little throughout. From the moment John Porch went over for Connacht’s first try in the third minute the result never looked in doubt.
They added four more tries in the first half. Wooton completed his hat-trick in the second half as Connacht ran in four more tries.
Clever thinking from Jack Carty saw his crossfield ball find Porch and he went over for Connacht’s opening try in the third minute. Five minutes later Mack Hansen offloaded the ball to Finlay Bealham who got his side’s second try.
It was all Connacht and they played with such poise and confidence. In the 17th minute Cathal Forde got their third try with Carty converting for a third time. The French side couldn’t contain Connacht and Alex Wooton secured a bonus point for the Westerners in the 26 minutes.
Things got better for Connacht in the 33rd minute when Wooton got his second and his side’s fifth try. Cian Prendergast with some great play in the build-up. Carty fired over to conversion to put the score at 33-0.
After being completely outplayed in the opening half Brive finally got off the mark in the 36th minute when Kevin Fabien went over for a try. Tom Daffy failed to convert it. Brive were poor in the line-outs and were constantly punished by Connacht. In the 51st minute Wooton was released and raced through to go over for his hat-trick of tries.
In the 57th minute Wooton was involved as Conor Oliver went over for another Connacht try. Wooton assisted substitute Conor Fitzgerald in the 72nd minute and he powered over. The scoring didn’t end there and in the 77th minute another sub went over; this time Kieran Marmion with his side’s ninth try.
Andy Friend’s side will hope to bring this form into their game away to Newcastle next week and give them home advantage in the knock-outs.
Timeline
| John Porch | 3' | |
| Jack Carty | 4' | |
| Finlay Bealham | 8' | |
| Jack Carty | 9' | |
| Cathal Forde | 17' | |
| Jack Carty | 17' | |
| 22' | Valentin Tirefort Tom Danovaro |
|
| Alex Wootton | 23' | |
| Alex Wootton | 32' | |
| Jack Carty | 33' | |
| 36' | 14. Kevin Fabien | |
| 38' | Tietie Tuimauga Francisco Coria Marchetti |
|
| 45' | Vasil Lobzhanidze Leo Carbonneau |
|
| 46' | Nico Lee Enzo Herve |
|
| Alex Wootton | 51' | |
| Jack Carty | 52' | |
| Peter Dooley Jordan Duggan |
52' | |
| Finlay Bealham Jack Aungier |
52' | |
| 52' | Hayden Thompson-Stringer Nathan Fraissenon |
|
| 54' | Abraham Papali'i Joeli Matalaweru |
|
| Jack Carty | 57' | |
| Conor Oliver | 57' | |
| Cathal Forde Tom Daly |
59' | |
| John Porch Conor Fitzgerald |
59' | |
| 59' | Vano Karkadze Aymeric Trong |
|
| Niall Murray Leva Fifita |
60' | |
| Jarrad Butler Ciaran Booth |
60' | |
| 60' | Maxence Biasotto Noe Bedou |
|
| Dave Heffernan Dylan Tierney-Martin |
62' | |
| Colm Reilly Kieran Marmion |
63' | |
| Jack Carty | 72' | |
| Conor Fitzgerald | 72' | |
| Jack Carty | 77' | |
| Kieran Marmion | 77' |
Past Meetings
 
(Round 2)
24 (3T) - (4T) 31Stade Amédée-Domenech CA Brive v Connacht |
Ground
| Dexcom Stadium |
|---|
| The Sportsgrounds, Galway City, County Galway, Ireland |
Deniese O'Flaherty
Deniese is a freelance sports journalist/broadcaster. She has worked for several local and national media outlets. GAA and soccer are her great loves and she also follows rugby league and snooker. She's a big supporter of her local clubs St. Mary's GAA Granard and Longford Town. She also follows Celtic, Liverpool and Leeds Rhinos. She presented and produced a popular sports podcast last year where she interviewed Ray Houghton, Chris Kamara and John Hartson. Deniese is currently Head of Communications for Boccia Ireland