Ciarán Frawley had waited until his first competitive Connacht appearance to make this kind of entrance. The Ireland international scored twice at Stadio Monigo, including the late try that overturned a two-point deficit and gave Connacht a 22-19 United Rugby Championship victory over Benetton on Friday. It was the province's first win of the new campaign, and a four-try attacking bonus point made the night more valuable than the narrow margin suggests.
The decisive score arrived with only a few minutes remaining. Benetton had led 19-17 since early in the second half, when hooker Bautista Bernasconi completed his own double from a driving maul. Connacht had shown flashes of width in the first period, but were spending the closing stages trying to find a way through a defence protecting a lead. Frawley's second finish changed the result without a conversion being needed.
A debut with two different tests
Connacht's selection had already given the match a clear point of interest. Their team announcement named Frawley at out-half for his first appearance since moving from Leinster, with Caolin Blade alongside him at scrum-half. Stuart Lancaster's side had lost their opener at home to the Stormers, so Treviso was not simply a stage for a new signing. It was an early chance to avoid beginning the season with two defeats.
Cian Prendergast's try after four minutes gave the visitors an immediate start. Benetton answered through Bernasconi, but Seán O'Brien put Connacht back in front after a quick attacking move. Those three unconverted tries left Connacht 10-5 ahead, a scoreline that captured the speed of the opening exchanges but not yet the contest's later tension.
Leonardo Marin then scored for Benetton after a move involving Alessandro Garbisi and Matt Gallagher, and Jacob Umaga's conversion turned the score to 12-10. For the first time, Connacht had to respond to a home lead rather than play with one. Frawley did so before half-time. His first try and Sam Gilbert's conversion put the visitors 17-12 up at the interval.
This was not a debut decided by a single late touch. Frawley had already supplied a lead-restoring score before the break, then had to find a second answer after Benetton's forwards shifted the balance. That distinction matters: the late finish was the headline moment, but the earlier try prevented Connacht from reaching the final quarter further behind.
Benetton's maul made the lead credible
Bernasconi's second try came from another driving maul soon after half-time. Umaga converted, and Benetton led 19-17. Their route to the front was different from Connacht's early open-field attacks, but it was no less effective. The home pack earned field position and turned close-range pressure into points twice.
Benetton's official match account also records a Connacht yellow card for Finlay Bealham near half-time and a later Benetton scrum close to the visitors' line that did not become another score. Those details help explain why this was not a simple story of Connacht waiting for their new out-half to provide a finish. The visitors had to survive a difficult period against a side with an effective close-range weapon.
Benetton's advantage remained just two points, though. Neither side added a penalty goal, and the next try would decide the match. Connacht could still win without requiring a conversion. That made every attempt to break the home defensive line significant, while Benetton could not afford to treat 19-17 as a comfortable cushion.
The contrast between the teams' scoring is instructive. Benetton registered three tries and two conversions for 19 points. Connacht scored four tries and converted one for 22. That is not evidence that one side controlled all phases, but it shows how the visitors' ability to cross the line once more outweighed a less accurate conversion return. The extra try also secured the attacking bonus point under the competition's scoring system.
The last move changed more than the score
Frawley finished Connacht's final successful attack in the closing minutes. Benetton's account places the try in the 76th minute; an RTÉ report describes it as a 77th-minute score. The accounts agree on the important sequence: Connacht trailed 19-17, Frawley crossed for his second try, Gilbert missed the conversion, and the visitors held on at 22-19. The minute difference is not material to the outcome and should not be presented as an exact stopwatch reading.
The win gives Lancaster's team a first result after the 29-15 home defeat by the Stormers in round one. It also gives Frawley a contribution that can be measured without exaggeration. He played at out-half, scored two of Connacht's four tries, and delivered the points that reversed the late deficit. None of that proves how Connacht's season will develop or whether a new backline partnership is already settled.
For Benetton, Bernasconi's two scores and the sustained second-half lead are evidence of a contest they were close to winning. The three-point loss yields a losing bonus point, but it does not erase the missed opportunity to close out a home match after taking the lead. Their opening round had ended 19-19 against the Dragons, leaving a draw and a narrow defeat from the first two fixtures.
Frawley's move to Connacht was announced well before this match. Irish Rugby's signing record confirms the two-year deal from Leinster ahead of 2026/27. Friday provided the first competitive evidence of what that change might add, but one night is a beginning, not a completed verdict on a transfer.
The useful conclusion is narrower and stronger. Connacht found four tries away from home, recovered after losing the lead twice and finished the final chance that mattered. Benetton made that recovery necessary through their maul and their second-half pressure. Follow the Rugby hub for the competition's wider picture and the News archive for fresh results. A late winner is not a betting certainty; anyone choosing to bet should remain 18+, set an affordable limit and consult our responsible gambling guidance.