Seven-try Connacht beat Saracens in Champions Cup

Connacht opened their Champions Cup campaign with a 7-5 try victory over three-time winners Saracens, delivering an attacking performance despite being third from bottom in the United Rugby Championship after three games. The result matters because Connacht began a pool containing four opponents who have all won the Champions Cup in the past decade.

Saracens led 12-0, but Connacht scored 19 unanswered points before the teams went into half-time level at 19-19. Cian Prendergast and Ciaran Frawley each scored twice, with Cathal Forde, Shamus Hurley-Langton and replacement Caolin Blade adding tries; Saracens’ late try left them without a losing bonus point after Owen Farrell missed the conversion. Connacht also missed out on a bonus point, which this season requires a team to score at least three more tries than its opponents; elsewhere in Pool Two, La Rochelle beat the Lions 31-14.