Healy sends Connacht on their merry way to thumping win in opener

MATT HEALY scored a try in each half as Connacht got their Challenge Cup campaign off to a bonus point winning start against Oyonnax in Switzerland.

Cian Kelleher, Eoin McKeon and Darragh Leader also scored tries while Andrew Deegan booted 18 points for Connacht, who claimed just their second win of Kieran Keane’s reign, and matched the return of next Saturday’s opponents Worcester Warriors.

Considering this was an Oyonnax team that featured 12 changes from the side that pushed Pau close in the Top 14 last weekend, Connacht had every right to assume they would encounter a team with their focus elsewhere.

But after a helter skelter opening half they knew the challenge that lay ahead.

Despite scoring the first three tries of the game and leading 19-3 after 23 minutes, Connacht only led by seven

at the interval as the home side – playing across the border in Geneva, an hour away from their base – came strong in the last 15 minutes of the half.

Oyonnax actually took the lead in the second minute when Connacht infringed during a strong rolling maul from the French side, and Christopher Ruiz drilled over the penalty, but after that it seemed as if Connacht would devour their hosts as Keane’s side played some of their best rugby of the season.

The first try of the game came a minute later, and Connacht’s Australian out-half Deegan was involved heavily.

He took a high tackle and earned his side a penalty advantage, and after Eoghan Masterson and Chris Farrell got their hands on the ball Matt Healy scored in the corner. Deegan’s conversion made it 7-3.

Twelve minutes in Connacht’s excellent ball handling skills saw them cross for the second time, and their decision to turn down a kickable penalty to go for the corner instead paid off as they stretched their lead to 12-3 thanks to Cian Kelleher’s trickery on the right.

Discipline continued to be a problem for the home side and 17 minutes from the break Eoin McKeon stretched well to score try number three following good build up play from Caolin Blade and Deegan. Again Deegan was on target with the extras for a 19-3 lead.

But Connacht then slacked off slightly.

Two minutes after their third try, Oyonnax’s Ivorian full-back Silvère Tian ran through a huge hole in the Connacht defence to score, and on the half-hour mark their best period of dominance saw Axel Muller score, although Julien Audy could not add the second conversion, which left Connacht’s lead at 19-15.

But three minutes before half time Connacht finally took aim at the posts after John Muldoon and Deegan came close to scoring, but the out-half sent Connacht into the interval 22-15 ahead thanks to his success from the kicking tee.

The high tempo that Connacht employed in the first-half continued in the second and they always sought to take quick lineouts and a few quick tap penalties, but it was a big shove at a scrum that earned Connacht a penalty in the 43rd minute, and Deegan kicked the points to put ten points between the teams.

And the bonus point try soon arrived for Keane’s men, and they made the most of a penalty reversal at the scrum to pin Oyonnax into their 22.

And they struck off first phase when Ultan Dillane claimed the lineout, popped to Blade and some brilliant movement allowed Healy to glide in under the posts for a 3215 lead.

Deegan’s penalty before the hour mark moved the lead out to 20 points and he soon added his seventh successful kick to bring the side’s tally to 38 points − and his own to an impressive 18 − while Leader’s try in the last minute was a fitting flourish.