European Challenge Cup/Connacht 43 Montpelier 10: There will be no danger of complacency when Connacht play group outsiders Catania in Sicily on Friday night, according to coach Michael Bradley. Saturday's thumping of Montpellier at the Sportsground leaves Connacht tantalisingly close to the last eight of the European Challenge Cup
But the Sicilians have shown ominous competitive form at home and this trip is a more sticky proposition than would have appeared when this group materialised.
"In a way, their results at home clarify things for us," said Bradley after his team saw off Montpellier. "They seem to model themselves on the French teams, with poor away form but really tough to beat at home. It is just a mater of going out and trying to win the game. But we know what to expect, it won't be a matter of being 15 points down before we wake up. They are tough at home, definitely."
But that is the very quality that Bradley has brought to his own team. Connacht grew more bold and expressive with each sequence of Saturday's demolition of the French, played out in the typically bracing conditions for which the exposed Galway rugby ground is famous.
The Sportsground has proven a graveyard for many continental teams and must by now force a shiver down the spine of many a Montpellier player.
The French at least showed intimations of real desire and ambition for the first hour of this match but through the last 10 minutes, the 3,000 faithful were treated to a rare exhibition of Connacht party pieces, as three-quarter fliers Keith Matthews and Conor McPhillips dashed home to complete flowing movements which put a gloss on the scoreline.
The late flourish guaranteed Connacht a necessary bonus point as well, meaning a fundamental 3-0 victory against the Italians will do fine. But the form that has frustratingly eluded Connacht in domestic competition may just be returning to Bradley's team at a good time in the European tournament and Connacht will surely hope to storm rather than crawl into the quarter-finals.
The nuts and bolts of this game were applied in the first half. Playing into an Atlantic gale, Connacht bravely opted to run everything from deep. It cost them at times, penalised on 21 minutes for not releasing just inside their own 22 and conceding an advantage to the visitors in the scrum.
But a 10-minute try improvised and finished by scrumhalf Chris Keane gave Connacht something to defend and although Montpellier threw the ball around liberally for the next half hour, they made terrible use of the wind.
Even the 13th minute sinbinning of Ted Robinson - for killing the ball as Montpellier were on the verge of the try-line - did not break the resistance.
The one moment of fortune occurred after 37 minutes when the French number nine, Harley Crane, made a scintillating burst only to delay his try-scoring pass a fraction too long.
The early moments of the second half were disastrous for Connacht, with loosehead Ray Hogan forced off injured even as English referee Wayne Barnes elected to award Montpellier with a wildly premature penalty try.
Down 10-7, Connacht's season was held up before them in the starkest terms and in fairness, they did not blink.
Outhalf Dave Slemen defined a fine afternoon with some great and accurate kicking to the corners and once in position, the pack did its job, securing solid lineout ball and driving the French backwards for Matt Lacey and Colm Rigney to touch down in a mass of bodies on 53 and 62 minutes.
That period of dominance was enhanced by Montpellier's loss of centre Murphy Taele and the gargantuan number eight Michael Macurdy to the sinbin. Even allowing for Montpellier's disintegrating belief and momentum, Connacht gave an admirably robust display.
John Muldoon must have left the field a battered man given the consistency and enthusiasm of his tackling and along with the formidable Lacey and Rigney, he made up an impressive backrow.
Paul Warwick made the most of his 15 minutes with some inspirational flashes from outhalf and the Connacht three-quarters line moved the ball with real confidence and imagination during that purple period.
Other results will decide if Connacht can obtain a home quarter-final draw.
"We aren't in charge of our own destiny in terms of that," said Bradley.
"All we can do is try and win in Sicily and take it from there."
But a quarter-final and the promise of more to come would do much to balance the bleak return from the Celtic League. And, more importantly, there is a quiet sense about Connacht that they may be primed for their best form of the season when they most need it.
CONNACHT: M Mostyn; T Robinson, J Hearty, K Matthews, C McPhillips; D Slemen, C Keane; R Hogan, J Fogarty, S Knoop; C Short, A Farley; J Muldoon, M Lacey, C Rigney. Replacements: A Clarke for Hogan (44 mins), M Swift for Farley (70 mins), J Merriman for Fogarty, McHugh for Hearty (both 75 mins), P Warwick for Slemen (76 mins), T Tierney for Keane (77 mins), B O'Connor for Lacey (78 mins).
MONTPELLIER: D Bortolussu; S Logerot, M Taele, A Stoica, F Charrier; R Lespinas, H Crane; S Petit, N Grelon, C Baeocco; M Bert, M Gorgodze, M Durand, C Mathie, M Macurdy. Replacements: N Deschamps for Petit (half-time), J Vallee for Mathie (60 mins), O Diomande for Grelon, S Buade for Gorgodze, F Benazech for Bortolussu (all 70 mins).
Yellow Cards - Connacht: T Robinson (13 mins). Montpellier: Taele (51 mins) Macurdy (61 mins).
Referee: W Barnes (England).
