Connacht call on Galway teen for Spanish clash

Date Published: 09-Oct-2009

IT is hardly a fixture to set the pulses racing, but for a Connacht team languishing at the bottom of the Magners League the chance to run up a hefty score against Spanish minnows should provide a welcome respite from their normal weekly fare at the Sportsground this evening (6.30PM).

Connacht will be expected to beat Olympus Rugby Madrid with a good deal of comfort when they open their Amlin European Challenge Cup campaign and, in the process, put recent disappointments against Ulster and the Dragons behind them.

This is the home side’s 14th consecutive campaign in European rugby’s secondary competition and their route to the knock-out stages has been rendered more difficult than ever this year, as only the five pool winners will make it through to the quarter-finals, along with three Heineken Cup sides.

With Worcester Warriors and Montpellier lying in wait for Michael Bradley’s side, it will be important for Connacht to hit the ground running by registering a decisive victory on home soil this evening.

The game will mark the competitive debut of 18-year winger Tiernan O’Halloran, from Clifden, who has stepped up to the senior squad along with Eoin Griffin of Colaiste Iognaid this season.

An invitational side, largely based around the CRC Madrid team who won the 2009 Division de Honor title in Spain, Olympus are made up of most of the strongest players currently operating in the Spanish league.

“The strengths of Spanish….

See Rob Murphy’s preview on page 44 of this week’s City Tribune