Connacht to endure freezing temperatures for Challenge Cup tie in Siberia

COACH Pat Lam insists Connacht – currently top of the Guinness Pro12 table – do want to do well in the European Rugby Challenge Cup as it offers another avenue into top flight Cup rugby for the province next season.

On Tuesday evening, a 24-man Connacht squad, including both experienced and youthful players, along with management and support staff made the 5,800km journey to Krasnoyarsk in Russia where they will play Enisei-STM in their Challenge Cup opener.

Given the two-flight nine hour journey in and out of Russia was bound to take its toll, some believed Connacht might travel with a second string in order to keep their frontline players fresh for the busy schedule of Guinness Pro12 games leading into the Christmas and New Year period.

“We have said from the beginning that we want to do well in this competition because it is another avenue into the Champions Cup (next year),” stated Lam at Tuesday morning’s press conference.

Consequently, he said that it was always the intention to bring a mix of experienced and promising players but acknowledged his hand had been somewhat forced by a succession of injuries within the 41-man panel in the last month. Heading to Russia, he had only 28 fit players to choose from for his travelling squad of 24.

Indeed, last weekend’s Guinness Pro12 win over Treviso came at a price with Tom McCartney, who was due to travel to the Siberian city, suffering a hamstring tear in scoring his side’s second try against the Italians. The 30-year-old hooker is expected to be unavailable for up to six weeks.

Also unavailable, scrum half John Cooney was due to see a surgeon this week to examine the extent of a shoulder injury; another try scorer against Treviso Matt Healy is out too having incurred a joint sprain to his hip in that game; and prop Nathan White was concussed during the first half of the Treviso clash.

Quinn Roux had surgery last week to repair the nasal fracture suffered in the game against Edinburgh while Rodney Ah You has returned home to New Zealand for this father’s funeral.

Although some of these players should be available in the coming weeks, it has left Lam short-staffed for tomorrow’s fixture at Central Stadium (3pm local time; 8am Irish time). Consequently, the uncapped duo of Peter Robb and Sean O’Brien are included in the squad and join their Academy colleagues James Connolly, Shane Delahunt, Conan O’Donnell and Rory Parata for the trip.

For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.