Challenge Cup: Brive v Connacht, Stade Amedee-Domenech, Friday, 9pm local (8pm Irish time)
Connacht’s European challenge moves to France for Friday evening’s second-round fixture against familiar foes Brive.
After a solid win at home to Newcastle last weekend, Andy Friend’s side know a win on French territory would do their chances a power of good in the quest to qualify for the Challenge Cup’s round of 16 knockout stage.
While Connacht saw off Newcastle by 22-8, Brive fell to a humiliating 41-0 in Cardiff – a result which will surely galvanise a response in Stade Amidée-Domenech this evening. Their failure to score any points was not helped by the concession of 21 penalties, more than any other team in the competition, while they also made the fewest carries.
Smarting as they will be, Connacht will need to be on their toes because a Brive response to last weekend’s loss is looming.
To that end, they have made wholesale changes to their XV against Connacht, with just three players who started in Arms Park retained. The side includes former Ireland player Trevor Brennan’s son Daniel, who starts in the front row, and two former Connacht players, Tietie Tuimauga and Abraham Papali’i, and Dutchman Renger van Eerteen.
It is all about staying in the Top 14 now – that is the management’s clear objective
This week, a third former Connacht, Ulster and Munster player, Sam Arnold, starts in the centre, and he says Brive are now taking one game at a time.
“Last week a lot of the players who were selected needed minutes, and the management and leaders all made it clear it is all about staying in the Top 14 now – that is their clear objective,” said Arnold.
“But at at the same time, we are putting out a good team this week because we need to find our rhythm for the upcoming derby against Clermont this month. So it is a good team with a lot of strong players, who will hopefully turn up and perform.”
Connacht are now warned. Brive have lost four of their six home games by a single score, and they will be fired up to produce a performance against Connacht.
And that is exactly what Friend wants. “They tend to be very proud of their home record, hopefully they will pick their best because we want to play against their best and prove ourselves.”
Brive won home and away in the two teams’ first European meetings in 2007/08. The honours were divided in 2015/16, and two years later, Connacht secured both victories, including a bonus-point win in Brive where Kieran Marmion was one of the try-scorers in a one-point game that finished 38-37.
The scrum-half returns to the starting line-up in one of seven changes, in accordance with Connacht’s new rotation system. Bundee Aki returns to the starting line-up after international duty at outside centre, joining Tom Daly, while Conor Fitzgerald starts at full-back.
In the pack, Shane Delahunt and Sam Illo, who were on the bench last week, are named in the starting XV, while Gavin Thornbury makes a return to the side, joining European debutante Darragh Murray in the second row. Also in line to make their Challenge Cup debuts are Ciarán Booth and Byron Ralston, who are named on the bench.
BRIVE: S Tuicuvu; K Fabien, N Lee, S Arnold, W Douglas; N Sanchez, P Abadie; D Brennan, F Dufour, T Tuimauga; R van Eerten, T Ratuva; R Marais, S Hireche (capt), A Papali’i.
Replacements: V Karkadze, N Fraissenon, P Ceccareli, J Delannoy, M Voisin, E Sanga, T Raffy, T Laranjeira.
CONNACHT: C Fitzgerald; A Byrne, B Aki, T Daly, D Kilgallen; D Hawkshaw, K Marmion; P Dooley, S Delahunt, S Illo; D Murray, G Thornbury; O Dowling, S Hurley-Langton, P Boyle (capt).
Replacements: D Heffernan, J Duggan, D Robertson-McCoy, N Murray, C Booth, C Reilly, B Ralston, O McNulty.
Referee: Adam Leal (Eng).
