Connacht seal 14-9 victory over Dragons

Connacht 14-9 Newport Gwent Dragons, Galway

Connacht scored two tries in the first half as they secured a 14-9 victory over Newport Gwent Dragons in their Pro 12 encounter in Galway on Saturday.

Both the tries from Pat Lam's men came in the first 15 minutes with fullback Tiernan O'Halloran and scrum-half Caolin Blade crossing over with centre Craig Ronaldson adding the conversion on both occasions.

Replacement fly-half Angus O'Brien took over the kicking responsibility from Dorian Jones in the 14th minute and kicked a penalty in the 17th minute to get Dragons off the mark as they ended the first half with a 11-point deficit.

O'Brien tried to inject some more momentum with two penalties in the second half that reduced the gap to five points but Connacht held their nerve with tight defence and with John Cooney's late kick try was ruled out, the hosts secured a close win to consolidate their eighth position in the table.