The perfect night for introducing a French team to rugby in the Irish midlands. Driving rain that never softened, a Connacht side determined to begin their European Shield campaign in the same way as they finished chapter one of the Celtic League and a set of floodlights purchased from Croke Park and used in the last American football match to grace the home of gaelic games.

Ericsson Park offered quite a welcome to last year's defeated European Shield finalists Narbonne.

The visitors arrived confident enough to plant French international Marc Raynaud and Argentina's prolific place kicker Gonzalo Quesada on the bench. Resting, we were told, after a hectic French home schedule. You may remember the golden boot of Quesada from Ireland's humiliating exit from the last World Cup at the quarter final stage.

Still, with the multi-capped Argentinian Martin Schelzo at prop and the legendary French lock Olivier Merle strapped together like some ancient warrior and towering above both packs, Narbonne looked like the side to wallow in the heavy conditions.

How wrong that assumption was, as Eric Elwood controlled from behind the scrum. Gavin Duffy, despite the difficult ball handling conditions, offered considerable assurance at full back.

How often has Elwood kicked all of the penalties in an otherwise dour but heroic match to advertise Connacht's intentions from the beginning of this European Shield campaign? Once again, in a seemingly effortless demonstration, he kicked from the boot, this time six from six, and none of them easy.

The former Irish outhalf landed the first of his two first-half kicks on 17 minutes after a series of Connacht drives forced a foolish French hand to foul the ball on the ground.

That was a recurring theme for Narbonne as Connacht pragmatically stuck the ball in their faces and led them towards the path of frustration. As such the contest continued to oscillate between high kicks, grubber kicks and kicks to touch, neither team's wingers seeing the ball at all.

Any hint of a Narbonne offensive and the Connacht pack, displaying encouraging discipline, selflessly applied themselves to snuffing it out.

Full back Patrick Serre and scrumhalf Gregory Sudre were particularly dangerous but, without too much fuss Des Dillon, Johnny O'Connor and Paul Neville were inevitably in their faces.

Elwood landed his second penalty on 26 minutes and third shortly after the break. Another just after the hour had the home side 12-3 ahead but it was then the French began to push Connacht back into their 22.

Cedric Rosalen kicked his second penalty of the match for 12-6 and following a brief Narbonne flourish Connacht, for the first time, found themselves defending their line.

To the delight of the vocal home support the home side again answered abrasively but with discipline, Duffy inevitably behind the long kicks dropping high from the floodlights.

On 75 minutes Elwood again struck to extend the margin to two scores at 15-6 before kicking once more for point number 18 on 78 minutes.

By then the French had unravelled despite introducing Raynaud to freshen up the back row.

Boumedienne had been yellow-carded on 76 minutes while Merle was quietly but efficiently marshalled by Connacht captain Mark McConnell.

And that's how it finished, Narbonne utterly frustrated, Connacht playing the professional game perfectly.

SCORING SEQUENCE - 17 mins: E Elwood pen 3-0; 26 mins: E Elwood pen 6-0; 42 mins: E Elwood 9-0; 51 mins: C Rosalen pen 9-3; 61 mins: E Elwood pen 12-3; 71 mins: C Rosalen pen 12-6; 75 mins: E Elwood pen 15-6; 78 mins: E Elwood pen 18-6.

CONNACHT: G Duffy;P Duignan, D Yapp, T Alnutt, W Munn; E Elwood, E Reddan; D McFarland, M Uijs, P Bracken, R Frost, M McConnell (capt), P Neville, D Dillon, J O'Connor. Replacements: R McCormack for McFarland and D Browne for Frost (66 mins). J Ferris for Reddan (71 mins).

NARBONNE: P Serre; A Joubert, D Douy, L Subra, P Bazani; C Rosalen, G Sudre; A Hill, C Mathieu, P Furet, O Merle (capt.), C Gaston, M Scelzo, S Petit, JP Poux. Replacements: M Raynaud for Mathieu (58 mins). A Boumedienne for Hill (64 mins).

YELLOW CARD: A Boumedienne (76 mins)

REFEREE: C Muir (Scot)