Rugby Challenge Cup: Gerry Thornley talks to Connacht coach Michael Bradley ahead of the next leg of their European odyssey when they take on another top French side, Pau.
Connacht will most likely host French first division outfit Pau at the Sportsground on Saturday, January 10th in the first leg of their Parker Pen Challenge Cup second round tie. Pau will host the second leg the following weekend, probably on January 17th, at the Stade du Hameau.
Pau will have Imanol Harinordoquy, the brilliant French number eight who almost single-handedly destroyed Ireland in the World Cup quarter-final when setting up one try by fielding Frederic Michalak's third minute crosskick and then galloping in for another himself, and centre Damien Traille who scored one of Pau's tries in Saturday's second leg 25-6 win which completed a handsome 58-34 aggregate win over Rugby Parma.
Also in Pau's ranks are the Romanian Test pair of hooker Marius Tincu and rangy, ball-carrying backrower Alix Manta, as well as one-time French halfbacks David Aucagne and 33-year-old Philippe Carbonneau, whom Michael Bradley yesterday recalled playing against in his own Test days.
The Connacht coach expects a similarly rugged test of his side as provided by first-round opponents Beziers, whom they overcame 29-23 on aggregate. "We'll make an assessment of them over the next few days but we expect it will be a very similar type of challenge."
Bradley was thrilled by Connacht's aggregate win over French championship pacesetters Beziers. "The lads are working very hard and playing well, which is great. Beziers were a very strong side. I'd forgotten how big French teams can be, they were massive up front. We played very well over there in terms of defence, and eight points was a good advantage which proved decisive last Saturday."
The one blemish was Fabien Boiroux's nine-week suspension for headbutting an opponent, though Bradley had no qualms with the punishment for his French frontrower. "It's something we wouldn't condone. He may have been provoked and a wee bit agitated, but he shouldn't have done it. He just lost it. It was a good decision by the referee and the player himself was embarrassed by it.
"He's never done anything like that in his life before. He knows he shouldn't have done it. It was totally out of character."
Bradley accepts that Connacht will have to take a lead with them to Pau from the first leg. "Psychologically, as much as anything else, you'd need a lead. Even if it was only a point, it would be something positive to take with you on the flight over there."
It comes as little surprise to learn that Pau have won their last five home games, though they don't travel well. A classic case of this was their European Shield quarter-final last season, when they followed up a 29-3 defeat away to Ebbw Vale by winning the home leg 63-17.
Pau qualified for the French championship play-offs last season and in their four championship games to date have lost away to Montferrand (41-6) and Castres (39-27), while beating Colomiers (26-18) and Stade Francais (13-6) at home. They've a decent European pedigree, having reached the Heineken European Cup quarter-finals three seasons ago and semi-finals three seasons before that, as well as winning the Shield in 2000.
Connacht's season ended at this juncture last season, on January 17th to be exact, but they have the comfort of knowing that regardless of the result against Pau, they have another 10 games remaining in the Celtic League, in which they lie fifth.
Connacht host Munster at Dubarry Park (kick-off 7.0 p.m.) in Athlone on Friday, January 2nd, in what is an equally important game for them. "Munster will be a massive draw. For them to get a full house for Treviso was remarkable and it's a big match for us. It's a home match and the games against Leinster, Munster and Ulster would be the bigger Celtic League matches for us because they mean so much to the players."
And it's the response of the remoulded Connacht squad which has heartened Bradley in his first season as a full-time coach. "The application to detail is not something you'd necessarily see on the pitch. For example, we scored a try on Saturday which was something we'd been working on for months.
"The defensive system has been working very well. We had Mike Ford in at the start of the season and he is doing analysis for us on an ongoing basis.
"We're also getting good crowds, which seem to be increasing with each match, and there's a good buzz around match days and a great rapport between the supporters and the team. It's been hard work, but it's been very enjoyable."
CHALLENGE CUP: Round two: First leg (Jan 9th, 10th, 11th): Montauban v NEC Harlequins; Brive v Castres Olympique; London Irish v Narbonne; Connacht v Pau; Saracens v Glasgow Rugby; Newcastle Falcons v Montferrand; Colomiers v Bath Rugby; Grenoble v Beziers. Second leg (Jan 16th, 17th. 18th): NEC Harlequins v Montauban; Castres Olympique v Brive; Narbonne v London Irish; Pau v Connacht; Glasgow Rugby v Saracens; Montferrand v Newcastle Falcons; Bath Rugby v Colomiers; Beziers v Grenoble.
The two lucky losers from round one were Beziers (2 match points and -6 points difference) and Montauban (2 match points and -8 points difference)
CELTIC LEAGUE: Revised fixtures: Saturday December 27th: Glasgow Rugby v Edinburgh Rugby, Hughenden, 2.0; Cardiff Blues v Celtic Warriors, Arms Park, 5.30; Friday January 2nd: The Borders v The Dragons, Netherdale, 6.0; Connacht v Munster, Dubarry Park, 7.0; Llanelli Scarlets v Neath-Swansea Ospreys, Stradey Park, 7.05; Leinster Lions v Ulster, Donnybrook, 7.30.
