AMLIN CHALLENGE CUP Connacht 16 Bayonne 13:CONNACHT resurrected their European campaign when they overcame pool leaders Bayonne with a gritty display at the Galway Sportsground last evening.

With their backs to the wall after their opening round defeat in Italy, Connacht rose to the challenge and soaked up the pressure to get their Amlin Challenge Cup campaign back on track.

Outhalf Ian Keatley had promised Connacht would be a “different animal” than the tame outfit which lost to Cavalieri, and they certainly delivered with an intensity and aggression, particularly at the breakdown, which pegged the visitors inside their own half for long periods of the second half. And although Connacht were reduced to 14 men after Darragh Fanning was yellow-carded at the end of the first half, and Keatley missed five kicks – albeit two from the touchline – it was the home side’s effort in defence that provided the platform to their success.

From the first attack, initiated by Gavin Duffy on the counter-attack, Connacht kept the ball in hand and were rewarded with a fourth-minute penalty which Keatley converted. Keatley then missed a difficult kick from the right touchline three minutes later. Some wayward kicking from the hand by Connacht provided Bayonne with the initiative, and outhalf Sebastian Fauque replied with a penalty from halfway to reduce the arrears.

Known for their physicality, Bayonne relied on their big pack led by captain and international flanker Julien Puricelli when they established field position, and they had Connacht on the back foot on several occasions. A try looked likely when outhalf Fauque chipped through from 10 metres out but the ball went dead.

Connacht’s pack, led by captain John Muldoon, and aided by Mike McCarthy, Johnny O’Connor, and Sean Cronin, gave their opponents little change, but once again the scrum proved something of a lottery. It provided Bayonne with their second penalty which Fauque converted after 22 minutes.

Connacht then took the game to their opponents and in the tit-for-tat kicking duel that followed it was Keatley’s kick that caught out number eight Marc Baget and Sean Cronin scooped up possession and raced in to score in the left corner.

The home side created the opportunity to extend their slender lead soon after the restart, Keatley’s effort from the right touchline was just wide. However, he made amends six minutes later to open up a five-point lead.

Hard tackling from Keith Matthews and Niva Ta’auso in the centre stymied Bayonne who were pinned into their own half for the opening 20 minutes of the second half. A superb line break from Cronin provided the platform for Connacht’s second try, and with Fionn Carr halted just shy of the line, Gavin Duffy was on hand to crash over and grab a 16-6 lead.

Bayonne’s first scoring opportunity came soon after when Connacht were penalised in the maul, and the visitors reverted to type, using their big forwards to drive over after a penalty to touch.

Although Connacht kept them out on the first wave, eventually replacement hooker David Roumieu claimed the 69th minute try with scrumhalf Julien Audy converting, thus reducing the deficit to three points.

It gave the visitors renewed hope and it took an abrasive effort to keep them out, but a crunching Ray Ofisa tackle and an immense scrum, provided Keatley with a 78th minute penalty. His effort was wide again, but the game was won.

CONNACHT: G Duffy; D Fanning, N Taauso, K Mathews, F Carr; I Keatley, F Murphy; B Wilkinson, S Cronin, J Hagan, M Swift, M McCarthy, J O'Connor, R Ofisa, J Muldoon (capt). Replacements: T Nathan for Fanning (64 mins), B Upton for McCarthy (65 mins), B Faamausili for Hagan (67 mins). Yellow card: D Fanning (40 mins).

BAYONNE: P Elhorga; Y Huget, T Lacroix, S Gerber, J Peyras Loustalet; S Fauque, J Audy; P Lafond, A Heguy, T Leaaetoa, C Treloar, T Flavell, J Puricelli (capt), R Martin, M Baget. Replacements: D Avril for Leaaetoa (46 mins), A Boutaty for Trelaor (46 mins), J Pietersen for Fauque (52 mins), D Roumieu for Heguy (56 mins), G Zeilger for Lacroix (56 mins), R Linde for Baget (58 mins), F Da Ross for Lafond (58 mins), C Garcia for Pietersen 62.

Referee: Carlo Damasco(Italy)