Injury-hit Connacht face must win league clash against Glasgow Warriors

THIS Saturday at 1:05pm (the kick off time is dictated by television) Glasgow will visit the Sportsground in an absolutely vital game. The Gregor Townsend coached visitors top the table and are in a big battle for a home semi final.

Meanwhile Pat Lam’s men will need at least two wins from their final three games – Zebre away in Parma on May 9 and Ospreys at home on May 16 completes the schedule. Whatever happens, it has been a season like no other following Connacht.

In the last 15 years you can count on one hand the number of times Connacht have played really meaningful games as late in the season as April. In fact, it has happened on just three occasions up until this season and each time it has ended in disappointment.

The 2004 European Challenge Cup Semi final against Harlequins, the 2005 semi final against Sale and the 2010 last four encounter with Toulon are the only examples of rugby in the west of Ireland in spring that had the eyes and ears of the sporting enthusiasts in the west.

The usual scenario is a handful of end of season games in the Celtic League/Pro12 that mean nothing more than pride on the line. The old qualification system for the Heineken Cup was simple and unattainable. Finishing ahead of even one other province over a 22 game season was rarely, if ever, on the cards.

That has all changed this season with a new qualification format and a staggering improvement in form from the westerners. For the first time ever, a top six place provides a direct route into Europe’s elite competition (now called the Champions Cup) and Connacht are in the running to secure their place there.

Connacht’s three previous forays into the Heineken Cup came thanks to Irish sides (namely Leinster) winning the competition but this time they might just get there on their own bat. At the start of the season, Lam and his squad spoke continuously about their goal of finishing in the top half of the table.

It was ambitious but most predicted that they would fall heroically short at best and yet, here they are, with three games left and Connacht are still in sixth spot. They are tied with the Scarlets but have won more games and thus hold the tiebreaker, Edinburgh are just a single point back.

The Scarlets face their Welsh rivals the Dragons at the weekend in the Millennium Stadium as part of a showcase of the Welsh regional game in the national stadium. They then take on Cardiff in Llanelli two weeks later before finishing their campaign away to Treviso.

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