diff --git a/org.eclipse.jgit.http.apache/src/org/eclipse/jgit/transport/http/apache/HttpClientConnection.java b/org.eclipse.jgit.http.apache/src/org/eclipse/jgit/transport/http/apache/HttpClientConnection.java
index d42d6f29e..de81bf82b 100644
--- a/org.eclipse.jgit.http.apache/src/org/eclipse/jgit/transport/http/apache/HttpClientConnection.java
+++ b/org.eclipse.jgit.http.apache/src/org/eclipse/jgit/transport/http/apache/HttpClientConnection.java
@@ -100,7 +100,7 @@
 public class HttpClientConnection implements HttpConnection {
 	HttpClient client;
 
-	String urlStr;
+	URL url;
 
 	HttpUriRequest req;
 
@@ -176,16 +176,19 @@ public void setBuffer(TemporaryBuffer buffer) {
 
 	/**
 	 * @param urlStr
+	 * @throws MalformedURLException
 	 */
-	public HttpClientConnection(String urlStr) {
+	public HttpClientConnection(String urlStr) throws MalformedURLException {
 		this(urlStr, null);
 	}
 
 	/**
 	 * @param urlStr
 	 * @param proxy
+	 * @throws MalformedURLException
 	 */
-	public HttpClientConnection(String urlStr, Proxy proxy) {
+	public HttpClientConnection(String urlStr, Proxy proxy)
+			throws MalformedURLException {
 		this(urlStr, proxy, null);
 	}
 
@@ -193,10 +196,12 @@ public HttpClientConnection(String urlStr, Proxy proxy) {
 	 * @param urlStr
 	 * @param proxy
 	 * @param cl
+	 * @throws MalformedURLException
 	 */
-	public HttpClientConnection(String urlStr, Proxy proxy, HttpClient cl) {
+	public HttpClientConnection(String urlStr, Proxy proxy, HttpClient cl)
+			throws MalformedURLException {
 		this.client = cl;
-		this.urlStr = urlStr;
+		this.url = new URL(urlStr);
 		this.proxy = proxy;
 	}
 
@@ -206,11 +211,7 @@ public int getResponseCode() throws IOException {
 	}
 
 	public URL getURL() {
-		try {
-			return new URL(urlStr);
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			return null;
-		}
+		return url;
 	}
 
 	public String getResponseMessage() throws IOException {
@@ -250,11 +251,11 @@ public void setRequestProperty(String name, String value) {
 	public void setRequestMethod(String method) throws ProtocolException {
 		this.method = method;
 		if ("GET".equalsIgnoreCase(method)) //$NON-NLS-1$
-			req = new HttpGet(urlStr);
+			req = new HttpGet(url.toString());
 		else if ("PUT".equalsIgnoreCase(method)) //$NON-NLS-1$
-			req = new HttpPut(urlStr);
+			req = new HttpPut(url.toString());
 		else if ("POST".equalsIgnoreCase(method)) //$NON-NLS-1$
-			req = new HttpPost(urlStr);
+			req = new HttpPost(url.toString());
 		else {
 			this.method = null;
 			throw new UnsupportedOperationException();