Connacht’s Parker Pen Mission

Connacht coach Steph Nel may use the defeat to Munster last week to good effect this time around when his side take on Narbonne in the Parker Pen Cup.

For 60 minutes of a tough encounter in Musgrave Park, Connacht were still well in contention and it was only in the closing stages that Munster managed to pull away. The final scoreline did Connacht no justice and if they work on the positives from that game they can come away with a good result. Because that’s what it’s all about in this competition. It’s a two-leg affair and when the sides met last year, it ended one win apiece with aggregate final score of 40-40.

Narbonne have three Argentine internationals – Mario Ledesma, Gonzalo Longo and Martin Scelzo – in their side and will have the usual passionate support but now Connacht have the chance to turn a good season into a great one.

The Connacht side will be announced on Friday morning after a training session in Narbonne. The return leg will take place on Sunday week, December 15, at Corinthian Park with a 3 pm kick-off.

Connacht squad (v Narbonne):
R. McCormack, P. Bracken, F. Boiroux, J. Flannery, H. Bourke, R. Frost, D. Browne, M. Swift, J. O’Connor, J. O’Sullivan, C. Rigney, E. Peters, C. Keane, E. Reddan, E. Elwood, M. McHugh, S. Moore, D. Yapp, J. Norton, G. Duffy, T. Robinson, W. Munn.