This wasn’t the game to win, but it’s coming twelfth defeat in fourteen outings in the United Rugby Championship for the Zebre who collapse again in the second half and are clearly beaten, by 54-16, away to Connacht.
The Italian franchise also managed to stay close in the first half of the match thanks to Trulla’s try and Gesi’s drop, but in the 40th minute it was still 21-11 for the Irish band.
Then the physical collapse of the Zebre, who only scored with Lucchin’s try in the 65th minute, and the avalanche of Connacht who scored another five goals in the second half.
Connacht-Zebre 54-16
Zebras: 15 Lorenzo Pani, 14 Jacopo Trulla, 13 Scott Gregory, 12 Fetuli Paea, 11 Simone Gesi, 10 Geronimo Prisciantelli, 9 Gonzalo Garcia, 8 Giovanni Licata (C), 7 Davide Ruggeri, 6 Guido Volpi, 5 Andrea Zambonin, 4 Leonard Krumov , 3 Juan Pitinari, 2 Giampietro Ribaldi, 1 Muhamed Hasa
Available: 16 Tommaso Di Bartolomeo, 17 Danilo Fischetti, 18 Riccardo Genovese, 19 Matteo Canali, 20 Iacopo Bianchi, 21 Thomas Dominguez, 22 Franco Smith Jr, 23 Enrico Lucchin
Zebra markers
Scorers: Trulla (20), Lucchin (65)
Transformations:
Free kicks: Gesi (30)
Drop: Prisciantelli (13)
Connacht: 15 Shane Jennings, 14 John Porch, 13 Tom Farrell, 12 Bundee Aki, 11 Andrew Smith, 10 JJ Hanrahan, 9 Matthew Devine, 1 Jordan Duggan, 2 Dave Heffernan (C), 3 Finlay Bealham, 4 Joe Joyce, 5 Niall Murray, 6 Shamus Hurley-Langton, 7 Conor Oliver, 8 Seán O’Brien
Available: 16 Tadgh McElroy, 17 Peter Dooley, 18 Sam Illo, 19 Oisín Dowling, 20 Jarrad Butler, 21 Caolin Blade, 22 Cathal Forde, 23 Paul Boyle
Connacht scorers
Scorers: Devine (15, 23), Murray (35), Farrell (46), O’Brien (53), Aki (68), Hanrahan (73), penalty try (76)
Transformations: Hanrahan (15, 20, 35, 46, 68, 73)
Tags: Zebre collapse clear victory Connacht
