Connacht 14
London Irish 47
LONDON IRISH RECORDED an impressive victory over Connacht, as a crowd of 1,459 returned to the Sportsground for the first time in 18 months tonight.
Declan Kidney’s side were 33-point winners, fielding a different side in either half for their only pre-season game.
Paddy Jackson – playing his first match in Ireland since the IRFU revoked his contract – kicked three out of four conversions, as London Irish built up a 26-0 lead against a Connacht side who frustratingly failed to finish a host of gilt-edged chances.
Cian Prendergast pulled back a try shortly after the restart for Connacht but with their lineout malfunctioning they found themselves on the back foot for long periods and having conceded 52 points last week away to Worcester Warriors, they will go into their opening URC clash away to Cardiff on the back of another heavy defeat.
Former Irish international Sean O’Brien impressed in the second-half for London Irish, setting up a try for Mike Willemse with a sublime out-the-back pass before Peter Sullivan collected a crossfield kick from Conor Fitzgerald to score Connacht’s second try.
London Irish brought in former Irish U20 and Leinster scrum-half Hugh O’Sullivan and former Connacht prop Jamie Dever as they pulled further away with their seventh try from James Stokes, leaving Andy Friend’s men with plenty of work to do before the start of the URC.
Scorers for Connacht:
Tries: C Prendergast, P Sullivan.
Cons: J Carty, C Fitzgerald.
Scorers for London Irish:
Tries: T Parton (2), A Creevy, B Donnell, A Harmes, M Willemse, J Stokes.
Cons: P Jackson (3), R Jennings (3).
Connacht: T O’Halloran; D Kilgallen, S Bolton, T Daly, J Porch; J Carty, K Marmion; J Duggan, S Delahunt, J Aungier; O Dowling, U Dillane; E Masterson, C Oliver, C Prendergast. Replacements used: D Heffernan, M Burke, D Robertson-McCoy, N Murray, C Booth, C Reilly, C Fitzgerald, S Arnold, B, O’Donnell, P Sullivan, O McNulty.
London Irish: T Parton, O Hassell-Collins, C Rona, T Hepetema, K Rowe, PJackson, N Phipps, W Goodrick-Clarke, A Creevy, M van der Merwe, R Simmons, A Coleman, M Rogerson, B Donnell, A Tuisue. Replacements used: B White, H O’Sullivan, R Jennings, T Smerdon, M Williams, P Cokanasiga, A Harmes, C Redmond, J Stokes, A Dell, O Hoskins, J Dever, M Willemse, M Cornish, G Nott, J Cooke, T Pearson, I Curtis-Harris, J Smart, I Moore-Aiono, S O’Brien.
Referee: Frank Murphy (IRFU).