Home advantage in a Champions Cup play-off final is the carrot dangling in front of Connacht as they look to recapture their best form in Saturday’s eagerly-awaited showdown with Northampton Saints at Franklin’s Gardens.
EUROPEAN CHAMPIONS CUP QUALIFICATION PLAY-OFF: Saturday, May 20
NORTHAMPTON SAINTS (7th, Aviva Premiership) v CONNACHT (8th, GUINNESS PRO12), Franklin’s Gardens, 4pm (live TG4/Galway Bay FM/RTE Radio 1)
Team News: Ireland internationals Niyi Adeolokun, Ultan Dillane and Matt Healy have all returned from injury to feature in Connacht’s matchday squad for Saturday’s Champions Cup play-off clash with Northampton Saints.
Head coach Pat Lam has made seven personnel changes for the knock-out tie at Franklin’s Gardens.
Niyi Adeolokun starts on the right wing with Danie Poolman moving to partner Craig Ronaldson for a rare start in the centre.
Dave Heffernan and Finlay Bealham are both promoted to the starting front row in a week that also saw them named in Joe Schmidt’s Ireland squad for the summer tour to America and Japan.
Sean O’Brien and Jake Heenan start in the back row along with captain John Muldoon at number 8. Ruled out through injury since February, Ultan Dillane and Matt Healy are both in line to make an appearance from the bench tomorrow.
Commenting on Saturday’s crunch encounter with his former club, Pat Lam said: “Everything over the past few weeks has been geared towards this game. We know we haven’t been anywhere near our best in the last few matches and that’s been a big disappointment for us as a team.
“We’ve had a very positive week on and off the training pitch, but we all know that the 80-plus minutes from 4pm tomorrow is when it needs to count.”
Eoin Griffin, Tom McCartney, Ronan Loughney, Nepia Fox-Matamua, Shane O’Leary, Bundee Aki, Peter Robb, Stacey Ili, Tom Farrell and Josh Rowland are all injured or unavailable for the Northampton game.
Meanwhile, there are two changes to the Northampton Saints that overcame Harlequins 22-20 in the last round of the Aviva Premiership. Both are in the pack, with Christian Day and Teimana Harrison both returning to the team.
JJ Hanrahan, who is returning to his native Munster in the summer, misses out due to a shoulder injury, but Saints have a strong spine to their team which includes England’s Six Nations-winning captain Dylan Hartley, 2017 Lions George North and Courtney Lawes, England centre Luther Burrell and France number 8 Louis Picamoles.
NORTHAMPTON SAINTS: Ahsee Tuala; Ben Foden, Nafi Tuitavake, Luther Burrell, George North; Harry Mallinder, Nic Groom; Alex Waller, Dylan Hartley (capt), Kieran Brookes, Courtney Lawes, Christian Day, Jamie Gibson, Teimana Harrison, Louis Picamoles.
Replacements: Mikey Haywood, Campese Ma’afu, Gareth Denman, Api Ratuniyarawa, Tom Wood, Lee Dickson, Sam Olver, Rory Hutchinson.
CONNACHT: Tiernan O’Halloran; Niyi Adeolokun, Danie Poolman, Craig Ronaldson, Cian Kelleher; Jack Carty, Kieran Marmion; Denis Buckley, David Heffernan, Finlay Bealham, Quinn Roux, Andrew Browne, Sean O’Brien, Jake Heenan, John Muldoon (capt).
Replacements: Shane Delahunt, JP Cooney, Conor Carey, Ultan Dillane, Naulia Dawai, Caolin Blade, John Cooney, Matt Healy.
Referee: Mathieu Raynal (France)
Assistant Referees: Pascal Gauzere, Ludovic Cayre (both France)
Television Match Official: Eric Gauzins (France)
Match Odds (Paddy Power): Northampton Saints to win: 1/4; Draw: 20/1; Connacht to win: 16/5
Pre-Match Quotes: John Muldoon (Connacht) – “It’s been a tough period for us, but hopefully we are out the other end of that now and we can focus on a bright future. We know what’s at stake and we will cope with the expectations. We have to perform or this will be our last game of the season – and none of us want that.
“It really didn’t make much of a difference who we faced tomorrow. Northampton Saints and Gloucester are both excellent teams. Northampton have a lot of England internationals and a few Lions in their team, and likewise with Gloucester.
“We knew the challenge was going to be tough regardless of where we go – both Kingsholm and Franklin’s Gardens are tough places to visit, with very good home support in both stadiums.
“We have played in Kingsholm a couple of times recently so we would have known that ground a bit. But a few of us like myself, Andrew Browne and Ronan Loughney went to Franklin’s Gardens the last time Connacht played against the Saints. And it is James Cannon’s old team as well.
“Clearly we made a lot of mistakes in our last two games, especially against Munster. You would hope we would be sharper now, and we won’t make the same errors again. It’s a huge opportunity for Connacht to get back into the Champions Cup for next year.
“It’s basically a cup semi-final, and if we win we get to come back to the Sportsground. If we don’t win then we will be really disappointed at not being able to play in the top tier again.
“We have had flashes of really good play this year – that was mixed with some errors, but hopefully we can cut them out this weekend. There is a carrot at the end of this and a home game against Cardiff Blues or Stade Francais would be huge for us.
“Another thing about this week is Connacht are celebrating the inclusion of a few new internationals into the Ireland touring squad for the summer. It’s great to see Dave Heffernan and John Cooney make the step up now and I’m delighted for the five lads with Tiernan, Kieran Marmion and Finlay Bealham back in there too.
“They have been brilliant all year for us and it’s fitting that Joe Schmidt has recognised those performances.
They are all players with big futures in the game, and it’s a great boost for us ahead of this massive game in Franklin’s Gardens.”
Dorian West (Northampton Saints) – “We’ve had a good week this week, we’ve trained properly, we’ve prepared well for the game at the weekend against Connacht and we’re looking forward to it.
“There aren’t familiar names on the (Connacht) teamsheet, we’re not facing people we play against week in, week out. But we’ve got plenty of footage of their games, we’ve analysed them well.
“We know what they do, what they have done in the past, but obviously all that only goes so far because you need to be prepared for anything on the day. They could change what they do. But we have had a good look at them and we know what they’re likely to do. We’ve prepared well.”
Current Form – Northampton Saints – (Aviva Premiership): Lost 18-14 v Bath (home), Won 32-10 v Bristol (away), Lost 27-12 v Saracens (away), Lost 20-15 v Wasps (home), Won 20-19 v Exeter Chiefs (home), Lost 20-9 v Harlequins (away); (Champions Cup): Won 16-14 v Montpellier (home), Lost 41-7 v Castes Olympique (away); (Aviva Premiership): Won 23-20 v Gloucester (home); (Anglo-Welsh Cup): Won 24-16 v Newcastle Falcons (away), Won 19-13 v Gloucester (home); (Aviva Premiership): Won 18-17 v Worcester Warriors (away), Lost 22-16 v Newcastle Falcons (home), Lost 19-11 v Leicester Tigers (away); (Champions Cup): Lost 37-10 v Leinster (home), Lost 60-13 v Northampton Saints (away); (Aviva Premiership): Won 24-5 v Sale Sharks (home), Won 13-12 v Gloucester (away), Won 32-26 v Bristol (home); (Champions Cup): Won 28-21 v Castres Olympique (home), Lost 26-17 v Montpellier (away); (Anglo-Welsh Cup): Lost 27-20 v Leicester Tigers (away), Won 50-10 v Scarlets (home); (Aviva Premiership): Lost 32-30 v Bath (away), Lost 46-31 v Newcastle Falcons (away), Won 24-14 v Worcester Warriors (home), Won 32-12 v Sale Sharks (away), Lost 36-31 v Leicester Tigers (home), Lost 32-30 v Wasps (away), Lost 27-25 v Saracens (home), Lost 36-12 v Exeter Chiefs (away), Won 22-20 v Harlequins (home)
Connacht – (GUINNESS PRO12): Lost 41-5 v Glasgow Warriors (home), Lost 32-11 v Ospreys (home), Lost 17-8 v Scarlets (away), Won 28-15 v Edinburgh (home), Won 30-25 v Ulster (home); (Champions Cup): Won 23-21 v Toulouse (home), Won 52-7 v Zebre (away); (GUINNESS PRO12): Lost 24-13 v Leinster (away), Lost 21-16 v Newport Gwent Dragons (away), Won 18-7 v Cardiff Blues (home), Won 47-8 v Benetton Treviso (home); (Champions Cup): Lost 32-17 v Wasps (away), Won 20-18 v Wasps (home); (GUINNESS PRO12): Lost 23-7 v Ulster (away), Lost 16-9 v Munster (home), Lost 29-7 v Ospreys (away); (Champions Cup): Won 66-22 v Zebre (home), Lost 19-10 v Toulouse (away); (GUINNESS PRO12): Won 19-13 v Cardiff Blues (away), Won 14-9 v Newport Gwent Dragons (home), Won 34-19 v Benetton Treviso (away), Won 33-3 v Zebre (home), Lost 35-24 v Glasgow Warriors (away), Lost 25-22 v Zebre (away), Won 22-19 v Edinburgh (away), Lost 37-24 v Leinster (home), Lost 30-8 v Scarlets (home), Lost 50-14 v Munster (away)
Top Scorers – 2016/17 European Champions Cup: Northampton Saints – Points: Steve Myler 39; Tries: Teimana Harrison 2; Connacht – Points: Jack Carty 28; Tries: Stacey Ili, Tiernan O’Halloran, Kieran Marmion 3 each
Previous European Meetings: 4
Saturday, April 11, 2009 – Challenge Cup quarter-final – Northampton Saints 42 Connacht 13, Franklin’s Gardens
Saturday, October 11, 1997 – Challenge Cup Pool 4 – Northampton Saints 15 Connacht 20, Franklin’s Gardens
Tuesday, September 9, 1997 – Challenge Cup Pool 4 – Connacht 43 Northampton Saints 13, the Sportsground
Saturday, October 19, 1996 – Challenge Cup Pool 3 – Connacht 11 Northampton Saints 31, the Sportsground
European Cup Records:
Northampton Saints –
2016/17: Failed to qualify from Pool 4
2015/16: Reached the quarter-finals
2014/15: Reached the quarter-finals
2013/14: Failed to qualify from Pool 1
2012/13: Failed to qualify from Pool 4
2011/12: Failed to qualify from Pool 1
2010/11: Runners-up
2009/10: Reached the quarter-finals
2006/07: Reached the semi-finals
2004/05: Reached the quarter-finals
2003/04: Failed to qualify from Pool 4
2002/03: Reached the quarter-finals
2001/02: Failed to qualify from Pool 5
2000/01: Failed to qualify from Pool 1
1999/00: Champions
Connacht –
2016/17: Failed to qualify from Pool 2
2013/14: Failed to qualify from Pool 3
2012/13: Failed to qualify from Pool 3
2011/12: Failed to qualify from Pool 6
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