Connacht consolidated third place in Conference A of the Guinness PRO14 with a hard-fought 6-5 win over Zebre in Parma.
Jack Carty's two first-half penalties proved enough to beat the bottom-placed Italians and establish a four-point lead over Cardiff Blues, who visit the Sportsground next Saturday, in fourth.
Zebre winger Mattia Bellini crossed for the only try of the match with a powerful run just after the break.
Darragh Leader dotted down for Connacht with 25 minutes remaining, but the score was disallowed by the television match official because of a forward pass earlier in the move.
Zebre applied late pressure to claim a fourth win of the season, but Edoardo Padovani and Guglielmo Palazzani both sent penalty attempts wide.
We go head to head with Cardiff in the Sportsground next Saturday. A win and we are through to the knockout stages of the @PRO14Official and qualified for next seasons Champions Cup💪
— Connacht Rugby (@connachtrugby) April 6, 2019
🎟️Tickets still available👇🏻https://t.co/KwZj94h0ny pic.twitter.com/PIVzkZ4O0R
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