CONNACHT coach Michael Bradley demanded a major improvement after last month's shock defeat to Italian minnows Amatori Catania, which left their European Challenge Cup hopes hanging by a thread. Results elsewhere saved their blushes but if they are to stand any chance in the quarter-finals of that competition away to Newcastle at the end of March, a significant upward turn in fortunes was required.

Yesterday at the Sportsground, they started the first of just three Celtic League games between the Catania disaster and the Newcastle Falcons game . . . and immediately, the improvement was obvious. Connacht, with just two wins before this in the Celtic League this season, displayed great composure when they trailed 16-12 at the end of a first-half they dominated. Llanelli twice punished Connacht with left-wing Darren Daniel sprinting clear from his own 10-metre line after 17 minutes for an excellent try, while Kiwi Regan King crossed in at the right corner just before the break.

Connacht, however, did not panic and were rewarded after the restart when they ran in three tries to crown an accomplished display.

Scrum-half Chris Keane, busy as ever throughout, went blindside off a maul within a minute of the restart to send No 8 Colm Rigney racing through on an excellent line to get their opening try. Warwick's conversion made it 19-16, but better followed with 10 minutes to go when several forays were repelled before Warwick spotted a gap in the drift defence and dashed in under the posts, adding the points to make it 26-16.

Gareth Bowen, an interval replacement for the injured Mike Hercus, pulled back a penalty after 56 minutes for a Llanelli side who were starved of possession.

However, it was not long before Connacht were back in control and they got in for their third try at the end of the third quarter when Tongan centre Andrew Mailei ripped back possession before starting a move with replacement fly-half David Slemen shredding the defence for another converted try.

Connacht continued to dominate after that but could not conjure up a fourth try which would have given them the bonus point they deserved.

CONNACHT M Mostyn; D Yapp, A Mailei, K Matthews, C McPhillips; P Warwick, C Keane;

R Hogan, J Fogarty, A Clarke; D Gannon, A Farley; J Muldoon, B O'Connor, C Rigney.

Subs J Merrigan for Fogarty, 53 mins; M Lacey for O'Connor, 53 mins; D Slemen for Warwick, 56 mins; T Tierney for Keane, 58 mins; M McHugh for Mailei, 65 mins; A Gallagher for Rigney, 75 mins; D McFarland for Hogan, 79 mins. Sin bin Merrigan, 78 mins.

LLANELLI SCARLETS B Davies; T Selley, D James, R King; D Daniel; M Hercus, C Stuart-Smith; M Madden, A Gravelle, C Dunlea; I Afeaki, A Jones; D Jones, G Thomas, A Popham.

Subs J Davies for Dunlea, 32 mins; G Bowen for Hercus, half-time; L Davies for C StuartSmith, 56 mins; V Cooper for Afeaki, 56 mins;

M Rees for Gravelle, 70 mins; G Quinnell for D Jones, 70 mins; G Evans for King, 73 mins.

Sin bin: King (21 mins).

Referee G Hannah (Scotland).