Connacht to face Welford Road side in last 16 of Challenge Cup

Connacht have been drawn away to Leicester in the round of 16 knockout format for the Challenge Cup competition, the first time the men in green have faced the former European Champions in a competitive fixture and while the novelty will be interesting, the trip to Welford Road on Easter weekend is about as tough a draw as they could receive.

European rugby has been heavily disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic this season, with two rounds of action cancelled in January, forcing a full re-think on the whole season. When we left off, Connacht were still in the Champions Cup competition, but having lost their opening two games to Racing away and Bristol at home, hopes of progression to the knockout stages were all but gone.

The solution to the cancellation of all those fixtures is a fresh shape to both major Cup competitions with the top 16 Champions Cup sides (including Leinster and Munster) entering a knockout competition to decide the winner; while the remaining eight Champions Cup teams (including Connacht and Ulster) have been paired with the top eight sides from the Challenge Cup for a similar knockout competition.

The Challenge Cup reprieve is a positive development for Connacht and while the draw to Leicester is a daunting one, if they can cause an upset, a home tie with either the Ospreys or Newcastle awaits.

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

Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App

Download the Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App to access to Galway’s best-selling newspaper.

Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.

Or purchase the Digital Edition for PC, Mac or Laptop from Pagesuite  HERE.

Get the Connacht Tribune Live app
The Connacht Tribune Live app is the home of everything that is happening in Galway City and county. It’s completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and information on what’s on in your area. Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.