Connacht Eagles 0 Doncaster Knights 40: Latu Makaafi leads Knights' charge

Clive Griffiths’s side made it a dozen games unbeaten with a resounding victory in Ireland, a result that also saw them secure the No 1 seeding in the British & Irish Cup.

From the moment prolific flanker Latu Makaafi scored his 18th try of the season inside four minutes at Connacht, the South Yorkshire club rarely looked in danger of losing their record.

Andy Bulumakau, the centre brought in as one of many changes by Griffiths, added their second on the quarter-hour after a fine kick-return from Mat Clark and then it was the turn of young prop Joe Sproston, making his first competitive start, to cross.

With hooker Ben Hunter captaining the side for the first time, Doncaster were ruthless and efficient as they continued picking apart troubled Connacht.

The visitors defended well before Sam Edgerley supported Alex Shaw’s break for their try bonus point score, Simon Humberstone adding his third conversion for a 26-0 interval lead. Conditions worsened in the second period and Clark was yellow-carded for hands in at the ruck after Eoin McKeon was tackled just short.

His side still did not buckle, however, and instead Michael Hills came on to score Doncaster’s fifth try for Humberstone to improve, Bevon Armitage rounding things off with a try Declan Cusack converted.

Connacht Eagles: Leader; Gaffney, Brennan (C McKeon 57), Pewhairangi, Carr (O’Keefe 55); O’Leary, Lowndes (Kerins 57); O’Donnell, Delahunt (Heffernan 57), Kenny (Walshe 13) (Cosgrove 73), Gallagher, Qualter, Romaine, Moloney, E McKeon (Kelly 40’)

Doncaster Knights: Jarvis; Clark, Bulumakau, Armitage, Hurrell; Humberstone (Cusack 67), Edgerley (Heaney 67); Sproston (Brugnara 61), Hunter (Stagg 61), John, Young (Maksymiw 34), Phelan, Makaafi, Owen (Hills 61), Shaw. Replacement unused: Quigley.