Connacht to stage first leg of big Euro clash with Leinster at the Sportsground

CONNACHT have no plans to move the home leg of their European Champions Cup last 16 clash against Leinster in April away from the Sportsground, despite demand likely to far exceed the 6,129 capacity limit on the College Road venue.

The province has qualified for the knockout stages of the premier European club rugby competition for the first time in its history, and given the fact that Leinster will provide the opposition in the two-leg Last 16 clash, the temptation may be there to move the game to a venue with a bigger capacity, but Connacht attack coach Pete Wilkins said this week that there were no plans for such a move.

“It’s not something I have heard mentioned,” said Wilkins of the potential of moving the game to the likes of Thomond Park.

“Fundamentally for us, we love playing in the Sportsground and the atmosphere that is generated there. It is certainly not something that has come across my radar at this stage, all the talk about it has been of it being at the Sportsground but if I hear otherwise, I’ll let you know,” said Wilkins, who has stepped in as temporary head coach at Connacht, after Andy Friend was deemed a Covid-19 close contact, which ruled him out of last weekend’s trip to Paris.

Connacht’s place in the knockout stages was assured before their final pool game with Stade Francais on Sunday, but rather than being because of a slip-up by Castres, it was due to the fact that Cardiff were granted a 28-0 win over Toulouse after the game between those sides was called off due to an outbreak of Covid-19 in the French camp.

As it turned out, Connacht still grabbed the bonus point they needed against Stade to secure their place in their own right – in fact, they took two bonus points – but it could and should have been even more, only for Connacht to throw away a second-half lead for the third consecutive European game to lose a game they were on track to win.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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