Connacht player ratings: Smith, Hawkshaw and Butler shine as Westerners maul Bears in Champions Cup
Andrew Smith of Connacht on his way to scoring his side's fourth try during the Investec Champions Cup Pool 1 win over Bristol Bears at the Dexcom Stadium in Galway. Photo by Seb Daly/Sportsfile
Connacht players, from left, Bundee Aki, Jack Aungier and Jarrad Butler after their side's victory in the Investec Champions Cup Pool 1 round four match at the Dexcom Stadium in Galway. Photo by Seb Daly/Sportsfile
How Connacht rated in their Champions Cup victory over Bristol Bears at the Dexcom Stadium in Galway.
Tiernan O’Halloran — 6
Solid return to action after injury
Andrew Smith — 9
Outstanding game, denied brilliant try but then nailed one
David Hawkshaw — 8
Superb display in defence and attack. Where has he been all season?
Bundee Aki — 6
Good crash ball as always, solid in defence
Shayne Bolton — 7
Gets better with every outing, great opening try
JJ Hanrahan — 6
Was motoring well until suffered an injury which forced him to limp off
Caolin Blade — 7
Great leadership, busy as always and nabbed a try after being denied one
Denis Buckley — 7
Used all his experience to nullify Kyle Sinckler
Tadhg McElroy — 6
Fired-up display, solid throughout as Connacht got their set-piece sorted
Finlay Bealham — 7
In the wars from start to finish, loving it all
Niall Murray — 7
Stole a couple of lineouts and won his own in top class display
Joe Joyce — 7
Was clearly fired-up meeting his old side and led from the front
Cian Prendergast — 7
Always strong in defence and has uncanny ability to make every contribution count
Shamus Hurley-Langton — 6
Got stuck in from the outset in another fine display
Jarrad Butler — 8
Big contribution from the long-serving warrior who will enjoy this win more than most
Replacements
Dave Heffernan — 6: Steadied the ship
Peter Dooley — 7 Good to have this experience coming in
Jack Aungier — 6 Great try in first cameo
Oisin Dowling — 6: Solid
Conor Oliver — 6: Made impact as usual
Michael McDonald — 5: Late cameo
Jack Carty — 6: On earlier than expected but got stuck in
Oran McNulty — 6: Late run
