Bath clinch Connacht thriller
Malone's last-minute conversion downs the Irish in Challenge Cup
Australian fly-half Chris Malone clinched a dramatic injury-time European Challenge Cup victory for Bath over Connacht at the Rec on Saturday.
French winger David Bory scored in the corner to level the scores at 19-all in the 82nd minute, with Malone's superb conversion breaking Irish hearts for the second week in a row after the last-gasp 19-18 loss to NEC Harlequins.
Connacht led 19-9 entering the final 10 minutes, following a try to fullback Daniel Riordan and five goals from Paul Warwick, but it was not enough as the home side stormed home with tries to wingers Tom Cheeseman and Bory.
The Newcastle Falcons were given a rugby lesson in their 41-12 loss to Brive at Stade Amedee Domenech.
The home side are struggling in the bottom two of the French Championship, but they gave a poor Newcastle side a rugby lesson.
Brive started where they left off against Montauban last week with three tries in the opening half. Tight forwards Damien Chouly and Simon Azoulai took advantage of some poor Falcons defence around the fringes, while centre Test winger Ludovic Valbon had too much pace for the third.
Skipper Matt Burke ensured his side weren't nilled in the first half with a well-taken try.
The French club extended their lead with tries to fly-half Luciano Orquera, wingers Yves Donguy and Norman Ligairi and a second to Chouly, with a penalty try on the hour mark the only thing the visiting Newcastle fans had to cheer.
Promising Welsh backrower Gavin Quinnell came off the bench to score twice in the last three minutes as Worcester Warriors earned a valuable bonus point in a 29-23 loss at Clermont Auvergne.
Coach John Brain said: "Our replacements bench added great value towards the end of the match.
"We fronted up quite well, and while I don't think we deserved to win the match, the bonus point could prove crucial in this pool."
Fly-half James Brown kept the visitors in touch with three penalty goals in the opening spell, but the pace of the French club's backline was proving too much.
Veteran fullback Alexandre Peclier bagged the first try of the match, and the Warriors had no chance of stopping the second when Fijian winger Vili Delasau – one of the fastest men in the game – received the ball in space.
Clermont are second in the French Championship and their impressive record at Parc des Sports Marcel-Michelin looked safe when Peclier crossed again, but Quinnell came off the bench to produce his last-minute heroics.
At the Twickenham Stoop, NEC Harlequins followed last weekend's nail-biting win over Connacht with a 57-10 rout of a disinterested Montpellier side.
Quins fly-half Adrian Jarvis converted early tries to Mike Brown and Danny Care, and the game was beyond doubt when Tani Fuga and Olly Kohn crossed before halftime.
Montpellier scored a try in each half, but winger Tom Williams' early effort kept the scoreboard ticking over. Just when Montpellier looked to have escaped with only a 38-10 loss, Quins ran in three tries in the final five minutes, with Brown scoring two more to complete his hat-trick.
In Bucharest, home full-back Florin Vlaicu kicked 12 points as Bucuresti completed a famous 32-27 victory over French club Bayonne.
Vlaicu slotted three of his goals in the final quarter to give Bucuresti a match-winning lead, with Bayonne fly-half Henri-Pierre Vermis opting for a kick at goal in the final minute to earn his side a second bonus point for finishing within seven points.
Montauban mauled Petrarca Rugby 53-5 in Italy, with winger Sylvain Jonnet and hooker Tony Testa bagging braces as the French visitors ran in eight tries.
Saracens took charge of Pool Two by claiming a 37-20 bonus point success against hosts Narbonne, with fly-half Glen Jackson amassing 22 points and South African import Neil de Kock claiming a try double.
Saracens forwards Fabio Ongaro and Tom Ryder were both sin-binned during a lively encounter, but the visitors stuck to their task as they recorded a priceless away win.
