European Challenge Cup: Connacht set off early this morning on their annual pilgrimage to the south of France in search of another feather in their well-worn cap. The previous three seasons have seen the men from the west return from the sunnier climes with highly respectable scalps, most recently this week's opposition Narbonne, and Beziers.

Unfortunately, this season Saturday evening's opposition, at the Parc des Sports et de L'Amite, will relish their arrival.

Last year Connacht beat them out the gate at the same venue, leading by 20-plus points after 25 minutes, before eventually running out 27-18 victors.

Newly-appointed manager Kiwi Tim Allnutt - former team captain and officially-adopted Connacht man after marrying a Galway woman in June - is under no illusions of the challenge that awaits.

"It's our fourth meeting in five years. We've won two of them. They are a big physical team and play a hard forward-orientated game. Also, they will be pissed off after what we did to them in the first half last season," he said.

"We may have a young pack but we know if we don't step up we'll get hammered and because it is a two-legged contest we will have to put our bodies on the line for 80 minutes. They have plenty of experience (namely Gareth Llewellyn and Franck Tournaire) and don't play an expansive type of game. So we know we are in for a torrid sort of affair."

Allnutt made his first major inroads in rugby with Waimatu in his native New Zealand before playing representative level for South Canterbury. He, like his brother Simon, eventually made the move to Connacht where he gained folk-hero status before having to retire from top-level rugby at the end of last season after a two-year cruciate injury finally caught up with him.

While considering his career options and a return to club level, where he has represented Galwegians, Corinthians and Buccaneers, the Connacht Branch offered him the manager's position after John Fallon stepped down.

"It's bloody hard work," he reflected on the first few months. "John did an awesome job. It's a little frustrating on the sideline but there is a good team spirit in the squad and I was glad to keep my hand in. I'm enjoying it and consider myself very lucky."

James Downey moved over from Leinster and appears to have filled the void left in the centre by Allnutt's move to the back-room staff, where his and everyone else's role in the Connacht set-up are about to get a lot more testing in the coming week.

It starts this morning with a 7.30 train ride to Dublin. This is followed by a flight to Montpellier, with a stop over in Paris, before a one-hour bus journey that should see them arrive in Narbonne at 9.20 p.m. tonight. It at least allows them one full day of preparation in France.

They will need it if they are to ensure they bring back a decent aggregate to the Sportsground for Saturday week's return leg.