Dan Parks proved he is still very much alive and kicking in the Heineken Cup as he steered new club Connacht Rugby to a famous home win over Biarritz Olympique and become the latest player to top 400 points in the tournament.
The former Glasgow Warriors, Cardiff Blues and Scotland outside half notched 17 points in the 22-14 win in Galway that moved his side into second place in Pool 3, a point ahead of Biarritz.
Parks' match haul of 17 points took him through the 400 point barrier in the Heineken Cup and took his European total to 585 in 55 matches. His next target will be 100 Heineken Cup penalties, for which he needs two more, and 600 European points, for which he needs 15.
Connacht travel to France for the return game against Biarritz next week and then have to go to Twickenhman to face Pool leaders Harlequins in Round 4. They finish their Pool assignment at the Sportsground in Round 6 against Zebre.
Connacht coach Eric Elwood was delighted to see his side capture their first French scalp in the Heineken Cup and will be looking for a repeat performance next weekend.
"My initial reaction was sheer delight. I felt that something special was going to happen," admitted Elwood.
"It was a nice night. We had a shaky first half but I had the feeling if we took our opportunities and moved them around the park we could win."
DAN PARKS IN EUROPE
Heineken Cup
Matches: 38 +3
Points: 403
Tries: 2
Cons: 36
DGs: 9
Pens: 98
Amlin Challenge Cup
Matches: 14
Points:182
Tries: 1
Cons: 33
DGs: 2
Pens: 35
European Overall
Matches: 52+3
Points: 585
Tries: 3
Cons: 69
DGs: 11
Pens: 133
