Qualter made his first appearance for the senior Connacht team on 1 December 2012, while still in the academy. He started on the bench against Edinburgh in the 2012–13 Pro12 during an injury crisis, and replaced flanker Johnny O'Connor after 71 minutes in a 23–24 defeat. Qualter made his European debut the following week against Biarritz in the 2012–13 Heineken Cup. He featured as a replacement as Connacht beat the 2011–12 European Challenge Cup winners by 22–14 in the Sportsgrounds. Qualter was again a replacement a week later in the return leg, as Connacht were beaten 17–0.