A seven tries to two performance — all scored by the backs — made it three wins from six and sends Connacht off to Dublin next week to meet champions Leinster oozing with confidence.

A foul night of wind at rain at the Sportsground but Connacht were oblivious to it as Andy Friend’s men played sunshine rugby to run in a string of superb tries which defied the elements and left Ospreys withering in the onslaught.

A seven tries to two performance — all scored by the backs — made it three wins from six and sends Connacht off to Dublin next week to meet champions Leinster oozing with confidence.

Connacht led 18-11 at the break despite playing into the teeth of the wind and rain but they kept the ball alive and ran it at every opportunity. And they were rewarded for their ambition to lead by three tries to one at the interval.

Mack Hansen got them off the mark with his fifth try of the campaign in a move that started inside his own 22 and seemed to go through every pair of hands before Jack Carty looped a 25-metre pass in front of the posts out wide for the Aussie, who had been involved three times in the build-up, to score in the left corner.

Carty and Stephen Myler exchanged penalties before impressive summer signing from South Africa Shayne Bolton, who is Irish-qualified, crowned his debut with a try where Oran McNulty and Hansen had key roles.

McNulty, the former Irish U20 international from Bath, marked his first start after a couple of appearances off the bench by stepping inside centre Owen Watkin to get his first try from 40 metres after Luke Morgan had pulled one back for the Welsh after hacking from deep.

The awful conditions were illustrated when Carty’s conversion, which started out to the right of the posts, ended up in touch in the left corner.

Connacht wrapped the bonus point inside three minutes of the restart when Sammy Arnold punished some slack defending and while Joe Hawkins pulled back a try for Ospreys, Connacht continued to dominate.

They pounded the Ospreys line and when the visitors eventually cleared their line, a superb crossfield run from Hansen sent Robb away, just after he had to come on for his first action since February, but he was denied by a seatbelt tackle which earned Luke Morgan a yellow card and Connacht a penalty try.

Replacement scrum-half Caolin Blade became the fifth back to score, powering through his opposite number Reuben Morgan-Williams to score, while Conor Fitzgerald completed the rout when Carty put him over for their seventh try.

Scorers for Connacht: Tries: M Hansen, S Bolton, O McNulty, S Arnold, C Blade, C Fitzgerald, penalty try. Pen: J Carty. Cons: Carty (3).

Scorers for Ospreys: Tries: L Morgan, J Hawkins. Pens: S Myler (2). Con: Myler.

CONNACHT: O McNulty; A Wootton, S Bolton (P Robb 56), S Arnold (C Fitzgerald 65), M Hansen; J Carty (capt), K Marmion (C Blade 59); M Burke (J Duggan 59), D Heffernan (S Delahunt 49), F Bealham (J Aungier 44); N Murray (O Dowling 35), U Dillane; J Butler, C Oliver, P Boyle (E Masterson 65).

OSPREYS: D Evans; M Nagy (C Evans 61), O Watkin, J Hawkins, L Morgan; S Myler, R Webb (capt) (R Morgan-Williams 64); N Smith (G Thomas 32), E Taione (S Parry 44), T Botha (R Henry 59); B Davies, R Davies (J Regan 59); S Cross (W Griffiths 44), J Morgan, E Roots (M Morris 64).

Ref: B Blain (Scotland).