Ulster A 21 Connacht Eagles 44

Ulster A, sponsored by CD Group, fell to a 21-44 defeat against an experienced Connacht A side in the opening round of the Cara Cup at the Union Sports Complex in Weymouth on Wednesday night. Connacht raced into an early lead with a penalty from Conor Dean and tries from Conor Hayes and Jonny Murphy, with Dean converting the second to make it 0-15 after the opening quarter. The Eagles extended their lead with another Murphy converted try to leave it 0-22 at half-time. Ulster shot out of the blocks after the restart with a Joe Dunleavy converted try within 2 minutes. However, Connacht responded with three tries of their own from Sean O'Brien, Hugh Lane and a converted effort from Robin Copeland. Ulster A winger, and CD Group Man of the Match, Graham Curtis, got over for a brace of tries, with replacement Bruce Houston converting both to narrow the deficit to 21-39. Connacht had the final say as Hayes went over again to seal the win. Ulster A coach Kieran Campbell commented after the game: "In terms of attack, we created a lot of opportunities tonight and Connacht defended well in pairs, but we also made some significant line breaks and just didn’t finish those. So we need to tidy up in those areas and have a little bit of work in our D as well." Reflecting on the value of the Cara Cup experience so far, Campbell said: "It’s hugely valuable for us. We’ve got a lot of young guys who are coming through our pathway at Ulster. It’s been a great experience for them so far. Learning how to cope with playing away from home, learning how to develop in terms of playing against a really good Connacht side tonight, you know with a lot of experience in their team. For us, it’s hugely valuable. I think it’s nice to get the opportunity to get to play in America, we’re looking forward ourselves to Sunday now as well with hopefully a big crowd." Ulster A will now face the hosts, the New England Free Jacks, at the same venue on Sunday before returning home. Ulster A team: (15-9): Iwan Hughes, Graham Curtis, Stewart Moore, Ben Power, Jack Owens, Johnny McPhillips, Michael Stronge; (1-8): Peter Cooper, Zack McCall, Ross Kane, JJ McKee, Jack Regan, Caleb Montgomery, Marcus Rea (Capt), Joe Dunleavy. Replacements: Claytan Milligan, Callum Reid, Corrie Barrett, Bradley Luney, David McCann, Charlie Clarke, Lewis Finlay, Bruce Houston, Ben McCaughey. Connacht Eagles team: (15-9): Colm de Buitlear, Hugh Lane, Corey Reid, Sean O’Brien, Conor Hayes, Conor Dean, James Mitchell; (1-8): Jordan Duggan, Jonny Murphy, Conor Kenny, Peter Claffey, Joe Maksymiw (Capt), Sean Masterson, James Connolly, Robin Copeland. Replacements: Declan Adamson, Conan O’Donnell, Neal Moylett, Cian Huxford, Stephen Kerins, Luke Carty, Oran McNulty. — 2019 CARA CUP ROUND ROBIN RESULTS/FIXTURES: Saturday, March 16 New England Free Jacks 7 Connacht Eagles 38 Union Point Sports Complex, Weymouth Wednesday, March 20 Connacht Eagles 44 Ulster A 21 Union Point Sports Complex, Weymouth, 7pm local time/11pm UK/Irish time Sunday, March 24 New England Free Jacks v Ulster A Union Point Sports Complex, Weymouth, 6.30pm local time/10.30pm UK/Irish time Saturday, April 6 New England Free Jacks v Munster A Irish Cultural Centre, Canton, 4pm local time/9pm UK/Irish time Wednesday April 10 Munster A v Leinster A Union Point Sports Complex, Weymouth, 7pm local time/12am UK/Irish time Sunday, April 14 New England Free Jacks v Leinster A Harvard Mignone Field, Boston, 5pm local time/10pm UK/Irish time