Connacht march on

Date Published: {J}

Connacht have secured a seat at the table for the business end of the season after completing a remarkable European campaign this weekend with a 66-0 victory over Madrid in Spain.

Top seeds in the Amlin European Challenge cup, unbeaten in the pool stages for the first time ever and preparing for a home quarter final at the Sportsground against French side Bourgoin on the second weekend in April.

Lets not disguise anything here. That’s a plum draw for the men in green. For sure, Bourgoin are a serious threat. They toppled London Irish in Reading last year at this stage and reached the final while their 18-9 victory in Leeds on Sunday demonstrates they don’t suffer travel sickness like many French sides.

That said, they offer a real chance of victory for Connacht. Newcastle or Saracens would have come all guns blazing with silverware very much the target, but Bourgoin have relegation issues at home and that will take precedent.

If Connacht can reach the last four, then a draw will be made for home advantage but should they face one of the three Heineken Cup sides that have entered the competition (Cardiff, Scarlets or Gloucester) then home advantage will be automatic.

The prospect of a move to Thomond and a huge Connacht crowd is too much for fans of the perennial strugglers to contemplate for now, but at least they can let themselves hope for a change – too often in the past four years, the season has been dead by January’s end but not now.

There are rumours of a St Patrick’s Day tussle with the Dragons in the pipeline. That game was postponed during the big freeze and the foresight for attempting to fix it for the Bank Holiday Wednesday must be commended.

There are games against Leinster home and away, Glasgow and the Ospreys all to come as well before the April quarter final showdown. That will be smack bang in the middle of home ties with Edinburgh the week before and Munster the week after. So much to look forward to.

Now, more than ever before, Connacht rugby have a chance to make a huge stride forward. Beyond the ever growing band of die-hard fans, the support has been intermittent at best from the people of the West in recent years and it is easy to understand why.

Many have got in their cars and headed south to watch Munster rather than follow their native province but that could all change should Connacht become genuine players on the big stage. A place in the last four will put Connacht amongst some of Europe’s elite sides and bring exposure like never before.

Off the field, the marketing of this will be as important as the on field performance and some big decisions will have to be made should a place in the last four be secured. All that might seem a little premature but it is worth considering. Connacht have got a seat at the table, it’s time to pick up the cards and start playing.