Connacht 38

 Benetton 30

By JOHN FALLON at Dexcom Stadium

TWO  tries from winger Shayne Bolton secured an invaluable URC victory at Dexcom Stadium to keep Connacht’s hopes of top half finish alive.

The Ireland A winger struck in either half of another fluctuating game where Connacht raced into a 12-0 lead before conceding 27 unanswered points.

A big impact off the bench helped Connacht rescue the game and they finished strongly to not only secure all five points but send Benetton back to Treviso with nothing in the bag in the race for knockout places.

“Delighted to come away with the win,” said Bolton. “It was a great game to be part of. Credit to Benetton, they played really well and it was a really tough game. Credit to the boys, they spread the ball wide to me.”

The game was not dissimilar to the last outing against Cardiff where they surrendered a 19-0 lead before coming back to win it at the death, but at least the victory keeps qualification hopes alive and maintains them having something tangible to play for when they host Munster in a sellout match at MacHale Park in Castlebar later this month.

“It is a hugely important win,” said Connacht head coach Pete Wilkins. “But we have to be really cognisant of the challenges to come. Ospreys away, really tough team and venue, South Africa away is always a daunting tour, Edinburgh are hard to break down, and there’s a small matter of Munster as well, up in Mayo. “So, plenty of challenges to come and we’ll have to play really well and keep improving to get the points,” he added.

Connacht, who this week announced that Australian Rob Seib, the Australian A coach currently with the Brombies, will be joining as senior assistant coach in the summer where he will renew acquaintances with Mack Hasen and Byron Ralston, could hardly have asked for a better start.

They raced into a 12-0 lead after 13 minutes as they shredded the Benetton cover. Swift hands in midfield from Cathal Forde and Hugh Gavin saw Josh Ioane put Finn Treacy away down the left and the Wicklow native crowned his first start to chip and outpace Matt Gallagher to race in and score under the posts after six minutes.

Six minutes later Forde put Dave Heffernan through but the hooker knocked on as he was tackled by full-back Rhyno Smith over the line. But Connacht countered from the restart and good hands from Piers O’Conor was crucial in sending Bolton rampaging down the right and the Ireland A winger cut inside two defenders to make it 12-0.

But then it all unravelled. Connacht conceded the next six penalties, two of them in the scrum and two under high balls, and with Benetton slick with ball in hand and regularly chipping and chasing through the middle, they struck for 27 unanswered points in 17 minutes of dominance.

Pictured: Connacht’s Caolin Blade is nabbed by Ignacio Mendy of Benetton during Saturday’s URC encounter at Dexcom Stadium. Photo: Joe O’Shaughnessy.