Cathal Forde's 78th minute penalty gives Connacht a thrilling 24-23 United Rugby Championship victory against Scarlets in Llanelli.

The Scarlets remain winless this season after a 78th minute penalty from Connacht centre Cathal Forde condemned the Welsh club to their second successive defeat in Llanelli.

CONNACHT’S REVIVAL GATHERED pace as they hung tough at Parc y Scarlets to win a thriller by a single point thanks to a 78th-minute penalty by Cathal Forde. If it was a far from perfect performance, Pete Wilkins can have few complaints after his side snatched victory from the jaws of defeat as his side extended their dominance over the Welsh regions with an 11th game without defeat.

Although Finlay Bealham was held up over the line, within minutes they grabbed their first try when profiting from a Scarlets’ mistake. The home side, in attempting to clear their lines, lost possession and the quick-thinking Piers O’Connor touched down to open the visitors’ home account.

Connacht seem determined to torment their supporters this year with mad-cap encounters but few will protest if they can keep managing to win topsy-turvy encounters which swing all over the place. Their best player after three games this season was their hero in this one in west Wales as Cathal Forde kept his composure to land a match-winning penalty from the right wing two minutes from the end in Llanelli.

Connacht 24 CONNACHT’S REVIVAL GATHERED pace as they hung tough at Parc y Scarlets to win by a single point thanks to a 78th-minute penalty by Cathal Forde. If it was a far from perfect performance, but Pete Wilkins can have few complaints after his side snatched victory from the jaws of defeat and continued their bright start to the URC season.