New Connacht Head Coach Friend kicks off new season with home PRO 14 tie

A new era begins in Connacht as head coach Andy Friend takes charge of his first competitive fixture when Glasgow Warriors visit the Sportsground in the opening game of the New Guinness Pro14 Rugby season on Saturday (3pm).

The game kicks off a busy month for the Westerners as they face three of the last five champions – they being the fourth – but this is offset somewhat by the fact that four of their first five Pro14 fixtures are at home in the Sportsground.

At any rate, September has already been dubbed the ‘Month of Champions’ and speaking at Wednesday’s launch of the new season at the Sportsground – hosted by TG4, who will broadcast Saturday’s game live – Friend admitted with so many tough games coming down the tracks, he and his squad were not looking beyond the Glasgow contest.

“The most important one now is Glasgow,” stressed former Australian Sevens coach Friend. “I love the fact though that there is an international flavour to the Pro14. I think having the Italians, the Scots, the Welsh and the South Africans, it just adds a real flavour to it. So, I am excited to get to those places but we got to go and play in this place first.”

Connacht will go into this season quietly confident, having defeated Brive (33-24) in France; routed Wasps (43-10) in Athlone; and beaten Pat Lam’s Bristol Bears (14-12) in England over their three pre-season games. Significantly positive.

“Yeah, we are in a comfy spot,” agreed Connacht’s Head Coach. “We haven’t done anything yet though and that is what we have to be careful of. We have got three good pre-season games and I have said to the players, and I will say it again, you don’t win championships in the pre-season but you can lose them.

“I think we are at the start line in pretty good shape and that is important. We have a healthy squad and a good understanding about the way we want to play and it is now about how we put that on the park and make sure we turn those pre-season wins into competition wins.”

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

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