Overview
- Connacht beat Benetton 26-15 at Dexcom Stadium to open the URC with four tries and a bonus point.
- Josh Ioane, Sean Naughton, Dylan Tierney-Martin, and Sean Jansen scored for the hosts, with Cathal Forde landing three conversions.
- Ioane departed after a collision with Louis Lynagh and did not return, as scrum-half Caolin Blade assumed greater game management duties.
- Benetton lost prop Ivan Nemer to a suspected knee injury early, and a stop-start contest featured multiple HIAs and several yellow cards.
- A TMO review produced a yellow card for Malakai Fekitoa for a shoulder to Dylan Tierney-Martin’s head, while Connacht now host the Scarlets next week.