Eight-try Saracens put Connacht to the sword while Stormers late show stuns La Rochelle

Saracens got their 2023/24 Champions Cup campaign back on track as they sealed a deserved 55-36 bonus-point victory against Connacht at the StoneX Stadium on Saturday.

After suffering a defeat in their tournament opener against the Bulls last week, Sarries bounced back in style as they outscored their Irish visitors by eight tries to five.

However, things did not go according to plan for the home side, with Connacht leading by nine points approaching half-time, but England hooker Jamie George’s try double just before the interval settled Saracens down.

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Mark McCall’s charges made the brighter start and were rewarded as early as the seventh minute when Juan Martin Gonzalez gathered a high ball before shrugging off four defenders on his way over the try-line.

That score did not discourage the visitors, who responded five minutes later when star centre Bundee Aki crossed for their opening try which was converted by Jack Carty but Sarries regained the lead courtesy of an Owen Farrell penalty in the 13th minute.

Connacht responded in the 25th minute when Caolin Blade went over for a converted try and they increased their lead when Carty slotted a penalty three minutes later.

The home side needed a response and they finished the opening half stronger as George crossed for his first try before Farrell brought his side within four points of the lead when he slotted his second penalty.

And just before half-time, George rounded off a superb try which meant Saracens held a 21-17 lead as the teams changed sides at the interval.

Sarries were fastest out of the blocks in the second half when centre Olly Hartley marked his first Champions Cup start by collecting the bonus-point five-pointer after 43 minutes.

In the 51st minute, Cian Prendergast was yellow carded for a cynical defensive foul and soon after he was sent to the sin bin Sean Maitland and Lucio Cinti scored tries in quick succession for the home side.

Despite their numerical disadvantage, Connacht did not surrender and they were rewarded on the hour-mark when JJ Hanrahan scored their third try before Hartley went over for his second-five-pointer in the 64th minute.

The topsy-turvy nature to the game continued as Joe Joyce and Theo Dan also went over for tries before Prendergast added some respectability to the visitors’ score when he dotted down in the game’s dying moments.

Stormers late show stuns La Rochelle in Cape Town

Springboks fly-half Manie Libbok was the Stormers‘ hero as he slotted a last-gasp conversion to clinch a 21-20 victory over La Rochelle in Saturday’s Champions Cup clash in Cape Town.

Both sides came into this encounter after suffering defeats last weekend but the home side had to dig deep to seal this win as La Rochelle held the upper hand for long periods.

In the end, both sides scored two tries apiece with Ben Loader and Andre-Hugo Venter crossing the whitewash for the hosts while Tawera Kerr-Barlow and Yoan Tanga scored La Rochelle’s tries.

Libbok finished with an 11-point haul as he also slotted three penalties while Antoine Hastoy scored the defending champions’ other points courtesy of two conversions and as many penalties.

La Rochelle opened the scoring when Hastoy slotted an early penalty. Five minutes later, Kerr-Barlow scored his try after his captain, Pierre Bourgarit, laid the groundwork with a strong carry in the build-up.

The rest of the half was evenly contested but Libbok and Hastoy traded penalties in the latter stages of the half which meant La Rochelle were leading 13-6 at the break.

Libbok narrowed the gap to four points with an early penalty, five minutes into the second half, but La Rochelle regained the initiative soon after when Tanga gathered a pass from Dillyn Leyds before crossing for his try.

The Stormers responded when Loader dotted down out wide after gathering a cross-field kick from Damian Willemse and although Libbok’s conversion attempt was off target, the game was still in the balance.

La Rochelle thought they had won the game in the 77th minute when Hastoy crossed the whitewash after the an unforced error from the Stormers but his effort was disallowed after television replays revealed foul play in the build-up from Joel Sclavi, who was yellow carded for his indiscretion.

The Stormers made full use of their numerical advantage as Venter went over for his five-pointer in off the back of a lineout drive in the game’s dying moments and Libbok held his nerve to slot the match-winning conversion from close to the touchline.

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