Bristol Bears opened their Heineken Champions Cup account with a commanding bonus-point victory over Connacht at the Galway Sports Ground on Sunday evening. Bryan Byrne’s try late in the first period had given Pat Lam’s side a narrow half time lead, but the Bears cut loose after the break, with tries from Ed Holmes, Piers O’Conor and Ioan Lloyd earning maximum points on the road. Connacht crossed through Tiernan O’Hollaran and John Porch, while Jack Carty added five points, but it was the Bears who took the spoils to keep themselves well and truly alive in the competition.