Prendergast and Frawley doubles lift Connacht past Saracens in 13-try opener

Connacht opened their Champions Cup campaign with a 45-36 home victory over Saracens on Saturday, recovering from an early 12-point deficit in a contest that produced 13 tries. According to BBC Sport, captain Cian Prendergast and fly-half Ciaran Frawley each scored twice at Dexcom Stadium as the hosts overcame the three-time European champions.

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Saracens established their early advantage through Sione Vaenuku and Noah Caluori, but Connacht responded with tries from Prendergast, Cathal Forde and Shamus Hurley-Langton. The hosts scored 19 points without reply before Hurley-Langton was sent to the sin bin. Nick Tompkins then crossed for Saracens, with Owen Farrell's conversion bringing the teams level at 19-19 at the interval.

Connacht's official match timeline records Bundee Aki supplying the assist for Prendergast's second try after the restart, when the home side remained a player short. Saracens answered through Rotimi Segun, with Elliot Daly providing the final pass. Frawley then scored his first try, assisted by Finn Treacy, before Vaenuku added his second for the visitors.

The decisive separation came through replacement scrum-half Caolin Blade and Frawley. The club's match data credits Daniel Ryan with the assist for Blade's try and lists Frawley's second as an individual effort. Sam Gilbert converted the latter, completing a five-conversion contribution and putting Connacht 14 points ahead. Daly's late try reduced the final margin, but Farrell missed the conversion that would have secured a losing bonus point.

The official statistics show how much Connacht created despite having slightly less possession: they recorded 648 metres to Saracens' 400 and made 15 offloads against six. Frawley's individual return included 81 metres from 10 carries, while Treacy recorded 98 metres and Ryan 96. Those contributions helped the hosts finish with seven tries against Saracens' six.

BBC Sport reported that Connacht nevertheless missed out on an attacking bonus point because this season's pool-stage rules require a team to score at least three more tries than its opponent. The victory offered a strong European start for a side that entered the match third from bottom in the United Rugby Championship after three games.