URC: Connacht 26-10 Scarlets - Irish province secure bonus-point win

Connacht secured a 26-10 bonus point win over Scarlets in the United Rugby Championship in Galway on Saturday.

The Irish side led 19-7 at half-time thanks to tries from Caolin Blade, Eoin de Buitlear and Sean Jansen.

Efan Jones' touchdown helped to cut the deficit to 12 points at the break.

Jansen added his second try for Connacht after the break, with Dan Jones kicking a penalty for the visitors' only points of the second half.

The loss means that Dwayne Peel's Scarlets side have still won only twice in all competitions this season, while five points will be significant for Connacht in their pursuit of a place in the URC play-offs.

The hosts got off to a strong start, with prop Jack Aungier making a superb break in the Scarlets 22 and popping the ball to Blade who raced in for his fifth try of the season. Hanrahan added the extras in a tricky breeze.

Connacht struck again minutes later, with David Hawkshaw, Niall Murray and Andrew Smith combining to work their way up the pitch before the ball was passed to De Buitlear who drove over for a try on his first start.

The misery continued for Scarlets after a penalty conceded close to their line just after the first quarter allowed Jansen to power his way over the line for a score that was converted by Hanrahan.

The visitors hit back just before the half-hour mark, with Vaea Fifita finding a gap in the Connacht defence before supplying an inside pass for Jones to run in for a try on his first start. Dan Jones' conversion cut Connacht's advantage as the sides went in at the break.

Scarlets battled their way back into the game and were rewarded with three points from the boot of Dan Jones after Connacht conceded a penalty in front of their posts after a spell of pressure from the Welsh side.

David Hawkshaw attempts to make a break for Connacht

Connacht had the ascendency just before the hour and, after an offload from Oisin Dowling to Denis Buckley, Jansen grounded the ball and was awarded the try following a lengthy review from the match officials who were looking for a possible knock-on in the build-up.

As the conditions worsened in Galway and the game became increasingly scrappy, Connacht held on and closed out the game to secure an important five points.

Connacht: O'Halloran; Ralston, Hawkshaw, Forde, Smith; Hanrahan, Blade; Dooley, De Buitlear, Aungier; N Murray, Thornbury, Prendergast, Hurley-Langton, Jansen.

Replacements: Heffernan, Buckley, Illo, Dowling, O'Brien, McDonald, Carty, Oliver.

Scarlets: Nicholas, Lewis, J Williams, James, S Evans, D Jones, E Jones, W Jones, S Evans, Wainwright, Craig, J Price, Lousi, D Davis, Fifita.

Replacements: Swart, S Thomas, J Jones, M Jones, B. Williams, A Hughes, Titcombe, Conbeer.

Referee: Federico Vedovelli (FIR)