RUGBY:THE DAY of reckoning is at hand, and as 100th games in Europe go, Connacht's big day is becoming bigger by the day. Sure enough, as befits a game that will be graced by both the Taoiseach and the newly elected President, the four-time Heineken Cup winners, Toulouse, will also mark the occasion by bringing all their galacticos, including recently crowned World Player of the Year Thierry Dusautoir.

Guy Noves has made 10 changes to the team which went through the motions a little in eventually overcoming Gloucester at home last week, but then again he can afford to. For as also befits the premier outfit in European club rugby, their annual budget is €26 million – by the sharpest of contrasts, Connacht’s is estimated at €3 million.

So it is that along with Dusautoir, France’s World Cup final captain, three other finalists, Vincent Clerc, Maxime Medard and William Servat, are recalled to the starting line-up along with another French World Cup squad member, the big bruiser Louis Picamoles.

Indeed, all but one of the 10 French players called up to the starting XV are fully fledged internationals, as are 19 of their 23-man match-day squad.

The other quartet includes 19-year-old replacement number eight Gillian Galan, whom former Ireland and Toulouse man Trevor Brennan (another visitor at the Sportsground today) likens to a young Dean Richards in forecasting great things, as do many others in France.

All in all, it is a clear statement of intent by the reigning French champions and current Top 14 pacesetters.

Nowhere is the discrepancy in experience more evident than at midfield, where the 21-year-old pair of Dave McSharry and Eoin Griffin go up against a Toulouse midfield pairing of Yannick Jauzion and Florian Fritz, who have 126 H Cup caps between them.

The Sky cameras will be there (albeit coverage is only via the red button) and as was the case two seasons ago when they pushed Toulon all the way in the Amlin Challenge Cup semi-final, Connacht should be sufficiently inspired by the occasion to punch above their weight.

Poor relations of Irish rugby and relative paupers though they may be, Connacht have begun to make strides off the pitch as well as on it, and this evening’s game marks only the second outing for their newly constructed Shed, or Clan Terrace as it has been named.

With additional seating, Connacht will have an increased capacity crowd of 9,000 in attendance and the forecast is for the recent bad weather to ease on what is set to be a dry day – of sorts.

All week long, and from before, the Sportsground, indeed Galway and the province has become an increasing frenzy of activity in readiness for the big day. Amongst all the roads leading to the Sportsground will be the so-called Green Mile from Salthill, along which businesses have decorated their windows in green bunting as part of the “Greening of Galway” in support of Connacht.

College Road, the main thoroughfare form Eyre Square to the Sportsground, will be closed from 4pm to 9pm. Verily, Connacht rugby has never known a day like it.

Elsewhere there are some hugely significant clashes, not least an 11th meeting in this competition between Castres and Munster in Toulouse.

Although Denis Leamy, for one, appeared to have offered a compelling case for his promotion after his impact last week – carrying 10 times in the 41-phase drive that led to Ronan O’Gara’s match-winning drop goal, Tony McGahan has opted for an unchanged starting line-up.

Another theme of the weekend is how opportunity knocks for young centres in the long-term absence of Brian O’Driscoll, and with Paddy Wallace sidelined for four to six weeks, 21-year-old Nevin Spence is called up for Ulster’s game in Leicester, as is Eoin O’Malley for Leinster in light of Fergus McFadden also being ruled out for the holders’ hosting of Glasgow at the RDS on Sunday.

Joe Schmidt has also recalled Eoin Reddan, Seán Cronin and Devin Toner, the 6ft 11in lock who will go up against Glasgow’s 6ft 9in Richie Gray.

This weekend’s action will struggle to emulate last week’s drama-filled opening weekend, but then again, this is the Heineken Cup.