Connacht v Pontypridd Few teams have ever had such a motivation to win. Whatever about the veracity of the information emanating from Lansdowne Road, Connacht rugby believes it is under threat from its parent body and to that end must assume the team is viewed by the IRFU as the most irrelevant of the four Irish rugby limbs. There is a point to prove today at Ericsson Park.
The players have been around long enough to understand the timing of various leaks are not coincidental and Pontypridd will arrive in Ireland to face one of the most determined sides ever to step on to a rugby pitch.
Connacht believe they are literally fighting for their existence.
Winning the Parker Pen Challenge Cup would give them entry into next season's Heineken Cup to the exclusion of one of the other provinces, a prospect that could well disarm the number crunchers.
But Connacht's anger and elevated levels of frustration will need to be skilfully harnessed and focused in the right direction by coach Steph Nel for this first leg quarter-final.
Nel has made three changes from the team that started against Narbonne in the last round. With Ted Robinson out through injury, Gavin Duffy is selected on the right wing with Mark McHugh starting at full back. Jerry Flannery comes in at hooker ahead of Marnus Uijs, while in the back row number eight John O'Sullivan is out injured. Subsequently Colm Rigney is moved to that position with Johnny O'Connor chosen at openside flanker.
Pontypridd do not arrive in sparkling form with coach Lynn Howells hoping to raise morale following the demoralising home Welsh League defeat to Ebbw Vale last Saturday. But the side is expected to be strengthened by the return of world record points scorer Neil Jenkins. Jenkins's obvious dead-ball kicking and general influence and positional play around the field has been hugely important for the Welsh side, who were originally rated as one of the stronger teams in the competition.
Howell makes seven changes from the starting line-up that lost to Ebbw Vale but he will no doubt emphasise the one-sided 40-0 away win over Connacht in the Celtic League pool stages back in October. Captain and hooker Mefin Davies and fellow international forwards Robert Sidoli, Michael Owen and Richard Parks all come back making the Ebbw Vale game appear even less important.
"Knowing what the Irish are like, we are expecting a backlash from Connacht," said Howells. "They will really be up for it and they have some very good players. They will be more physical than when we beat them by 40 points in the Celtic League and that result will certainly motivate them."
That may be true but not since Warren Gatland took the province to Agen five years ago have Connacht contested a European quarter-final. Defence will have to be tight and more variation than in the last match against Pontypridd will have to come into the Connacht plan. Also the Welsh team are a skilful counter-attacking side and last year went close to winning the competition, falling in the final to Sale Sharks 25-22.
CONNACHT: M McHugh; G Duffy, D Yapp, S Moore (capt.), W Munn; E Elwood, E Reddan; R MCormack, J Flannery, P Bracken; D Browne, R Frost; M Swift, C Rigney, J O'Connor. Replacements: D McFarland, M Uijs, E Peters, J Muldoon, C Keane, M McPhail, J Norton.
PONTYPRIDD: B Davey; G Wyatt, S Parker, J Bryant, E Lewis; N Jenkins, P John; G Jenkins, M Davies (capt.), D Bell, B Cockbain, R Sidoli, G Lewis, R Parks, M Owen. Replacements: M Rees, S Cronk, N Kelly, W O'Connor, G Baber, C Sweeney, S James.
Previous meeting: Celtic League - Connacht 0, Pontypridd 40.
Challenge Cup Formguide: Connacht 23 Narbonne 7; Narbonne 42 Connacht 27; Connacht 47 Mont de Marsan 29; Mont de Marsan 12 Connacht 26.
Leading try scorers: Connacht-W Munn, M Uijs 3, Pontypridd - G Wyatt 5 Leading points scorers: Connacht - E Elwood 44, Pontypridd-B Davey 16.
Odds (courtesy Paddy Powers): (Handicap, Connacht plus 4 10-11, Pontypridd minus 4 10-11, Draw 16-1) 8-13 Pontypridd, 5-4 Connacht, 20-1 Draw.
Verdict: Connacht
