With Worcester Warriors losing to Oyonnax last night, Connacht know that a second successive win over Brive would give them a six or seven-point cushion at the top of Challenge Cup Pool 5 heading into the New Year.
EUROPEAN CHALLENGE CUP – POOL 5: Saturday, December 9
CONNACHT (1st) v BRIVE (3rd), the Sportsground, 3pm (live Galway Bay FM/highlights TG4)
Team News: Connacht head coach Kieran Keane has made three changes to his team to face Brive in this afternoon’s Challenge Cup clash at the Sportsground.
Darragh Leader comes into the side at full-back, James Connolly is in at openside flanker and James Mitchell makes his first start for the province at scrum half. Connacht, who were 38-31 bonus point winners away to Brive last weekend, sit top of Pool 5 after three rounds, and a home victory tomorrow would put them in an excellent position to secure a home quarter-final.
Sligo native and Academy player Cillian Gallagher is retained in the starting XV at blindside after making his first start last Saturday in France. For the second time this season, Eoghan Masterson will captain the westerners from number 8.
There is a huge amount of experience on the bench with Tom McCartney, regular skipper John Muldoon, Kieran Marmion, who has signed contract extension with Connacht up to the end of the 2019/20 season, and Tiernan O’Halloran named among the replacements.
In advance of the reverse fixture with the French outfit, Connacht backs coach Nigel Carolan said: “We are hoping to use the win over Brive last weekend to kick us off to another good run of form. We have some big games coming up and maintaining a level of consistency is what we are aiming to achieve.
“We can’t afford to be complacent though. We haven’t played at home in a few weeks, so the lads are looking forward to being back out in front of a festive home crowd and producing the performance that can achieve a good result.”
Meanwhile, Brive boss Nicolas Godignon has made six personnel changes for the trip to Galway, with the visitors captained this week by former France international Arnaud Mignardi who returns at outside centre.
The other back-line alterations see Guillaume Namy, who has scored three tries in Europe this season, and Thomas Laranjeira drop to the bench as Franck Romanet and Matthieu Ugalde, who started against Connacht twice in 2015/16, line out on the left wing and at out-half respectively.
Vivien Devisme replaces Julien Brugnaut at loosehead prop, while Dominiko Waqaniborutu is joined in the back row by fellow Fijian-born flanker Péniami Narisia, who is just 20,? and number 8 Etienne Herjean who has joined Brive after four seasons with Pro D2 club Narbonne.
CONNACHT: Darragh Leader; Cian Kelleher, Pita Ahki, Bundee Aki, Matt Healy; Jack Carty, James Mitchell; Denis Buckley, Shane Delahunt, Finlay Bealham, Ultan Dillane, Quinn Roux, Cillian Gallagher, James Connolly, Eoghan Masterson (capt).
Replacements: Tom McCartney, Peter McCabe, Conor Carey, James Cannon, John Muldoon, Kieran Marmion, Tom Farrell, Tiernan O’Halloran.
BRIVE: Gaetan Germain; Nadir Megdoud, Arnaud Mignardi (capt), Benjamin Petre, Franck Romanet; Matthieu Ugalde, Florian Cazenave; Vivien Devisme, Mike Tadjer, Demba Bamba, Johan Snyman, Jan Uys, Péniami Narisia, Dominiko Waqaniborutu, Etienne Herjean.
Replacements: Louis Martin, Karlen Asieshvili, James Johnston, Sisa Koyamaibole, Julien Le Devedec, David Delarue, Thomas Laranjeira, Guillaume Namy.
Referee: Ian Tempest (England)
Assistant Referees: Dean Richards, Jonathan Healy (both England)
Match Odds (Paddy Power): Connacht to win: 1/12; Draw: 35/1; Brive to win: 7/1
Pre-Match Quotes: Denis Buckley (Connacht) – “It was great to secure a bonus point in a massive victory on French soil again last weekend. Brive are a tough side to play against but ideally we wouldn’t have liked to have coughed up a couple of bonus points for them.
“They scored four tries and they were quick out of the blocks. Their physicality surprised everyone early on. They are pretty big men and they came flying at us. They put up a score on us at the start and we had to get to grips with them.
“But credit to the lads, we weathered the storm, controlled it, added some tempo to the game gradually and began to move around some of their bigger players. That allowed us to tire them out a bit and off the back of that we put ourselves in a position where we could score some very good tries.
“To be 19-3 down and come back and win 38-31 is impressive, to be fair. Credit to the lads for showing the resilience to dig deep, come back and weather that storm on the pitch. Against guys that big you can’t give them momentum, you need to get them down early. And we did that in the second half when we were chopping the Brive guys down more often. We weren’t on the back foot as much then and we were able to get into the game and score some tries.
“Brive are your typical Top 14 team so they are big and direct, and they will play to their strengths again. We know what to expect from them, they will be just as good and if we are not on the money it will be a tough fixture like the one at Stade Amedee-Domenech was.
“It won’t be easy but if we can start the game how we finished last weekend, it should make things a little bit easier for us. It’s easier said than done, but we certainly can’t give them a big lead again. On another day we might find it difficult to claw that deficit back. We were lucky we did manage that last Saturday.
“I was scrummaging against the French prospect Demba Bamba, he is only 19 and it’s really impressive to be playing at that level at that age in that position. He is a big man and did our scrum at one stage. I know we were down to seven men but you couldn’t put it down to that. Between them being good and us failing to get it right, they got a good scrum penalty off of us in that instance.
“He is a good lad and I am sure he is going to turn into a really good player. Looking forward to this game, two of their big weapons are that scrum and their maul. The scrum penalty count was equal for both sides and their maul was a huge weapon for them.
“We did a lot of work on our maul defence this week because to concede two tries from mauls isn’t good enough. We know exactly what they are going to try and do. They are going to try and maul and scrum hard against us. Sometimes when a game like that doesn’t go well in a particular aspect, it really lights a fire under you.
“Maul defence and scrummaging was a big focus for us this week and if you can take that away from them then it’s a massive part of the game. Going into this game we are three from three in the pool and if we could win again, we will be in a very strong position.”
Current Form – Connacht – (GUINNESS PRO14): Lost 18-12 v Glasgow Warriors (home), Won 32-10 v Southern Kings (home), Lost 21-8 v Dragons (away), Lost 17-15 v Cardiff Blues (home), Lost 36-27 v Scarlets (away), Lost 16-8 v Ulster (away); (Challenge Cup): Won 43-15 v Oyonnax (away), Won 15-8 v Worcester Warriors (home); (GUINNESS PRO14): Won 20-16 v Munster (home), Won 23-15 v Toyota Cheetahs (home), Lost 36-30 v Cardiff Blues (away), Lost 24-10 v Zebre (away); (Challenge Cup): Won 38-31 v Brive (away)
Brive – (Top 14 Championship): Lost 19-10 v La Rochelle (home), Lost 29-14 v Lyon (away), Lost 25-6 v Racing 92 (home), Lost 62-6 v Clermont Auvergne (away), Lost 22-19 v Toulouse (home), Lost 54-10 v Montpellier (away), Won 27-22 v Castres Olympique (home); (Challenge Cup): Lost 30-20 v Worcester Warriors (away), Won 38-13 v Oyonnax (home); (Top 14 Championship): Lost 41-24 v Toulon (away), Won 20-19 v Stade Francais (home), Lost 34-15 v Pau (away), Drew 27-27 v Bordeaux-Begles (away), Won 33-30 v Oyonnax (home); (Challenge Cup): Lost 38-31 v Connacht (home)
Top Scorers – 2017/18 European Challenge Cup: Connacht – Points: Jack Carty 28; Tries: Matt Healy 3; Brive – Points: Gaetan Germain 17; Tries: Guillaume Namy 3
Previous European Meetings: 5
Saturday, December 9, 2017 – Pool 5 – Brive 31 Connacht 38, Stade Amédée-Domenech
Saturday, January 16, 2016 – Pool 1 – Brive 21 Connacht 18, Stade Amédée-Domenech
Saturday, November 21, 2015 – Pool 1 – Connacht 21 Brive 17, the Sportsground
Friday, January 18, 2008 – Pool 3 – Connacht 15 Brive 22, the Sportsground
Friday, November 9, 2007 – Pool 3 – Brive 15 Connacht 6, Stade Amédée-Domenech
Match Facts –
– All five previous meetings between the teams have been decided by margins of fewer than 10 points, with the last four all yielding a bonus point for the losing side (Brive W3, Connacht W2)
– Connacht have won 14 of their last 16 games when hosting Top 14 opposition (L2), including each of the last four in a row
– Brive have lost 10 of their last 12 away from home (W2), although their two victories in that run both came in their last four matches on the road
– Jack Carty scored 23 points in the round 3 clash, the most of any player last weekend. Carty crossed for a try, kicked three conversions and slotted over four penalties
Challenge Cup Records:
Connacht –
2015/16: Reached the quarter-finals
2014/15: Reached the quarter-finals
2010/11: Failed to qualify from Pool 1
2009/10: Reached the semi-finals
2008/09: Reached the quarter-finals
2007/08: Failed to qualify from Pool 3
2006/07: Failed to qualify from Pool 4
2005/06: Reached the quarter-finals
2004/05: Reached the semi-finals
2003/04: Reached the semi-finals
2002/03: Reached the quarter-finals
2001/02: Failed to qualify from Pool 4
2000/01: Failed to qualify from Pool 2
1999/00: Failed to qualify from Pool 4
1998/99: Failed to qualify from Pool 1
1997/98: Failed to qualify from Pool 4
1996/97: Failed to qualify from Pool 3
Brive –
2016/17: Reached the quarter-finals
2015/16: Failed to qualify from Pool 1
2014/15: Failed to qualify from Pool 5
2013/14: Reached the quarter-finals
2011/12: Reached the semi-finals
2010/11: Reached the quarter-finals
2008/09: Reached the quarter-finals
2007/08: Reached the quarter-finals
2006/07: Reached the quarter-finals
2005/06: Reached the quarter-finals
2004/05: Reached the semi-finals
2003/04: Reached the quarter-finals
2000/01: Reached the quarter-finals
1999/00: Failed to qualify from Pool 7
1998/99: Reached the semi-finals
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