Connacht

Image source, Inpho

European Challenge Cup

Connacht: (17) 43

Tries: Mullins (3), Tierney-Martin, Boyle (2), Cordero Cons: Carty (2), Naughton (2)

Zebre: (5) 12

Tries: Stavile, Fusco Con: Da Re

Connacht ran in seven tries as they started their European Challenge Cup campaign with a comfortable 43-12 victory over Zebre in a wind-swept Galway.

The Italian visitors were first on the scoreboard with a try from Bautista Stavile Bravin try before Connacht seized control.

Chay Mullins went over twice on his Connacht debut and Dylan Tierney-Martin added a third try to help the Irish side to a 17-5 lead at the break.

Tries from Paul Boyle, Mullins and Santiago Cordero stretched Connacht's advantage in the second half.

Alessandro Fusco touched down for Zebre's second try before Boyle completed his double late in the game.

Connacht had the wind at their backs in the first half but Zebre were rewarded for their early pressure as Stavile Bravin went over at the corner on six minutes.

The conditions were tough for kickers - Giovanni Montemauri missed the conversion and a penalty.

Mullins also touched down in the corner for his opener and added a converted try six minutes later.

Tierney-Martin went over from a lineout maul before Zebre's Rusiate Nasove was yellow-carded before the interval.

Boyle, who was notching up his 100th Connacht appearance, sealed the bonus point by going over from a scrum.

Mullins brought up his hat-trick and Cordero also touched down before Fusco took Zebre into double figures.

Boyle completed the try-scoring on a night when Jack Carty and Sean Naughton each kicked two conversions for the hosts.

Connacht: Jennings; Mullins, Hawkshaw, Forde, Cordero; Carty, Blade; Duggan, Tierney-Martin, Aungier; Murray, Dowling; Murphy, Hurley-Langton, Boyle.

Replacements: De Buitlear, Lasisi, Barrett, O'Connor, McCormack, Devine, Naughton, Ralston.

Zebre: Montemauri; Bozzoni, Drago, Lucchin, Gesi; Da Re, Dominguez; Buonfiglio, Bigi (capt), Hasa; Canali, Krumov; Milano, Stavile Bravin, Ferrari.

Replacements: Ribaldi, Rizzoli, Nocera, Nasove, Andreani, Fusco, Bianchi, Gregory.

Image source, Inpho

The Irish Rugby Football Union [IRFU] has confirmed that a provincial 'A' championship will return next month.

The competition will see second string sides from each of the four provinces meet each other home and away between November and May in an effort to give those not featuring regularly in the United Rugby Championship game-time through the season.

"We’re delighted to kickstart the men’s ‘A’ Interprovincial championship which will provide a host of players with a further means of developing in a meaningful competition," said the IRFU's performance director David Humphreys.

"With the success of the Emerging Ireland tours, coupled with the return of an ‘A’ international against England next year, it is vital that we continue to provide players at provincial and club levels with opportunities to impress outside of the traditional URC and EPCR fixture windows.

"Discussions have been ongoing for some time to provide players with meaningful games and all four provinces are unanimously ive of this competition."

Ulster will start their campaign by welcoming Connacht to Ballymacarn Park, the home of Ballynahinch RFC, on 22 November with Humphreys adding it is hoped the competition will benefit All-Ireland League clubs.

"It is also great to see provinces taking matches around their local clubs," he said.

"It is anticipated that as the competition progresses over the coming seasons these fixtures won’t clash with Energia All-Ireland League fixtures for the most part, thus potentially also offering players from the club game with an opportunity to impress.

"This competition will form another important part of the representative pathway from Energia AIL to URC levels for Academy players upwards over the coming seasons."

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Ulster head coach Richie Murphy says his side's hard-earned 32-27 win over Connacht at Kingspan Stadium on Saturday was "massive for us".

Ulster scored five tries to Connacht's four in an action-packed Irish interprovincial derby to end a two-game losing run.

"Five points at home was exactly what we needed to get back into the competition, which was made very difficult by a really good Connacht team," Murphy told BBC Sport NI.

"Some of their attack stuff has been excellent this year so far and they didn’t disappoint tonight again."

Murphy was particularly pleased with the way his team went about their task.

"Our toughness and fight and commitment was really good.

"There are things we need to be way better at - like overplaying in our area and not looking after the ball well enough at those times which caused us a lot of trouble – in fairness to Connacht they capitalised on that - but we're delighted with the win."

The northern province used the rolling maul to good effect against their western counterparts.

"To get a couple of maul tries is big for us, something that Ulster would have been built on back in the day, but we haven’t been able to capitalise on those in the past while.

"It was really nice to see the lads get over the line there. The last couple of weeks once we’ve got in and around that goal-line we haven’t been finishing off some of those tries but I thought we did really well today."

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Ulster fly-half Aidan Morgan says he is "super-excited" for the province's first Irish interprovincial game of the season against Connacht at Kingspan Stadium on Saturday night, a contest which will be broadcast live on BBC Two NI and BBC iPlayer.

The 23-year-old New Zealand native ed the Irish province from the Hurricanes on a two-year contract at the start of the campaign.

Ulster began their United Rugby Championship term with a narrow win over Glasgow in Belfast, followed by reverses on the road at the hands of the Lions and the Bulls.

"I know how important these interpro games are for the club and the senior boys are really leading the week in of what a win will mean for the team and for the fans," said Morgan.

"We ground out a really hard victory last time here [against Glasgow at Kingspan Stadium] so we’re looking to do the same.

"Although the results in South Africa weren't what we were looking for, it was nice to spend some time with the lads and get to know them a bit better.

"We’re working really hard as a team to fix up the few areas where we probably let ourselves down in South Africa. We know it’s a really big challenge this weekend but the boys are ready to step up."

'Parts of my game to improve on'

Irish-qualified Morgan cites a desire to further develop his game as one of the reasons for his move from New Zealand to Ulster.

"There are always improvements to be made to my game and the big thing Richie is working with me is leading the team around and leading the attack especially.

"I feel there are parts of my game that I’m really happy with but there’s a lot to improve on as well that I’m working on behind the scenes."

Saturday's encounter could see Morgan lock horns with All Black Josh Ioane, a fellow number 10, who also plays at full-back and centre. He ed Connacht from the Chiefs in the summer.

“I know Josh [Ioane] really well. He’s a top player, a really skilful first five and a really good ball carrier too," reflected Morgan.

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Ulster back row Nick Timoney believes the new wave of talent in the Irish province's squad is "really exciting and really good".

Following the retirements of several senior players in recent years, the 29-year-old finds himself as one of the more experienced of Richie Murphy's .

The Ireland international says that while defeats by the Lions and the Bulls on Ulster's tour of South Africa were disappointing, the trip offered up an opportunity for younger players to learn and gain valuable match-time.

James McCormick, Ben Carson and academy lock Charlie Irvine made their first Ulster starts in Saturday's 47-21 loss to the Bulls, with hooker Tadgh McElroy and development fly-half, James Humphreys also making their debuts off the bench.

Carson scored a try while Humphreys kicked two conversions.

"It sometimes feels like not a lot [what you get out of a tour with two defeats] but then there’s the blooding of young lads getting their first chance and from a squad point of view you get used to playing with some new faces and get to spend more time with each other," said Timoney.

"There’s been a huge turnover in the squad over the last couple of years so it’s good from an off-the-field perspective too, getting to know some of the younger lads.

"I don’t really feel old but you look around and the rest of the lads are 21 or 22 and then you maybe do feel a bit old. I think loads of them are really exciting and really good. We have loads of talent coming through and I will try and help those lads come through as best as possible and put the club in the best place we possibly can."

Before travelling to South Africa, Ulster began their United Rugby Championship campaign with a last-gasp home win over Glasgow and Murphy's side next face Connacht in their first interprovincial game of the season on Saturday.

"You know exactly what’s coming [playing Connacht], you play them so often and you watch all their games, whereas you go to South Africa you may get different players playing, you have to do a bit more research,” explained Timoney.