Connacht Rugby CEO Gerry Kelly said: "We are bitterly disappointed to have to call off the match but the pitch is unplayable at the moment.

"We are also conscious of the dangers that travelling fans would face and though the forecast is for slightly milder weather tomorrow, with no guarantees of a thaw we could not run the risk of leaving a decision any later with respect Aironi's travel arrangements."

Connacht head coach Eric Elwood was equally disappointed, adding: "We were hoping to carry the momentum from our good performance in Edinburgh last weekend into tomorrow night's match, but we'll use the extra time to prepare for our back-to-back Amlin Challenge Cup games against Harlequins now."

The Connacht v Aironi Rugby game will now be refixed by Celtic Rugby, the Magners League tournament organisers, and an update will be issued when a decision is reached.