Sport

Connacht must step up a gear in Montpellier

European Challenge Cup: Connacht will be hoping the tables will not be turned on them when they face Montpellier in their European…

Linley MacKenzie
Fri Dec 15 2006 - 00:00

European Challenge Cup:Connacht will be hoping the tables will not be turned on them when they face Montpellier in their European return leg in France this evening (6.30pm).

Though they grabbed the bonus point from their 26-13 victory in Galway last week, Connacht will not be taking this French side for granted at the Stade Sabathe.

This is the third season the sides have met in the European Challenge Cup and on each occasion Connacht have come through on aggregate, bolstered by 30- and 40-point margins of victory at the Sportsground. But this year there is no aggregate system and Montpellier are a stronger side.

Coach Michael Bradley is hoping last week's result was a wake-up call.

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"We did not expect them to be that good, and they stayed in the game for the whole time," he said. "They gave us a bit of a fright in that they are a more balanced side with a useful halfback pairing, and they can play well, with some nice running lines.

"Traditionally it's been a huge battle up front, but they now have talent behind the scrum and it will be quite difficult."

Bradley has made four changes to his starting line-up and reports no injury worries after a training session yesterday afternoon in the French city. Mark McHugh represents the only alteration to his backline, resuming at outhalf alongside scrumhalf Conor O'Loughlin, who retains the number nine jersey in only his second start of the season.

So too does Michael Swift in a backrow in which Matt Lacey returns to openside with Ray Ofisa rested. Captain John Fogarty takes over from Adrian Flavin, scorer of two tries last week, while Ryan Strudwick is named in the secondrow alongside Andrew Farley.

Having narrowly lost the first two rounds against Harlequins and Bath, but having picked up bonus points in each, Connacht again need to win if they are to say in the qualification hunt. But Bradley believes his players will need to up their performance.

"We missed too many first tackles last week against Montpellier which allowed them to retain possession for long periods. The hardest thing to do is defend and we fell off too many tackles which gave them momentum."

CONNACHT:D Riordan; T Robinson, P Warwick, G Williams, K Matthews; M McHugh, C O'Loughlin; B Wilkinson, J Fogarty, S Knoop, R Strudwick, A Farley, M Swift, M Lacey, J Muldoon. Replacements: A Flavin, B Sturgess, D Gannon, C Rigney, C Keane, D Yapp, C McPhillips.