This promises to be a day to remember for all involved as GUINNESS PRO12 leaders Connacht line out against Russian club Enisei-STM in the first ever competitive professional cross-border match to be played in sub-zero Krasnoyarsk.
EUROPEAN CHALLENGE CUP – POOL 1: Saturday, November 14
ENISEI-STM v CONNACHT, Central Stadium, Krasnoyarsk, 3pm local time/8am Irish time (live updates on Galway Bay FM)
Team News: Head coach Pat Lam has named his team for Connacht’s European Challenge Cup opening round encounter with Enisei-STM in the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk on Saturday.
21-year-old Academy centre Peter Robb will make his Connacht debut at the Central Stadium, starting in a midfield partnership with Bundee Aki.
USA international out-half AJ MacGinty starts for the westerners for the first time, with Ian Porter making up the half-back pairing.
Up front, John Muldoon (pictured below) captains the side from the back row where he is joined by George Naoupu and Academy flanker James Connolly, who makes his seasonal debut having played in three European games last season.
From the replacements bench, Galway-born Academy forward Sean O’Brien is in line to earn his first Connacht cap, while it will be a seasonal debut for both Daniel Qualter and Caolin Blade should they be called upon.
Meanwhile, Connacht’s Russian hosts qualified for the Challenge Cup by beating top club sides from Portugal and Romania last season and will want to make a big impression on their tournament debut.
They have 22 international players in their squad from Russian (20), Georgia and the Ukraine. Georgian centre David Kacharava captained his country against Ireland at the Aviva Stadium twelve months ago.
Enisei-STM have no recent form given that their Russian league campaign finished in September with arch rivals Krasny Yar taking the title from them.
But they are quite familiar with Connacht given that they have made five trips to Galway in recent years, including a 54-21 friendly win for Connacht Eagles at the Sportsground in April of last year. Qualter and Blade were among the westerners’ eight try scorers that day.
ENISEI-STM: Iurii Kushnarev; Mikhail Babaev, David Kacharava, Dmitrii Gerasimov, Denis Simplikevich; Ramil Gaisin, Jurijs Baranovs (capt); Aleksandr Bezverkhov, Stanislav Selskii, Innokentiy Zykov, Uldis Saulite, Viacheslav Krasylnyk, Vitalii Orlov, Andrey Temnov, Dmitrii Krotov.
Replacements: Nazir Gasanov, Andrei Polivalov, Evgenii Pronenko, Evgeny Elgin, Sergey Kuzmenko, Alexey Shcherban, Dmitriy Simonov, Anton Rudoi.
CONNACHT: Darragh Leader; Rory Parata, Bundee Aki, Peter Robb, Niyi Adeolokun; AJ MacGinty, Ian Porter; Denis Buckley, Shane Delahunt, Finlay Bealham, Ultan Dillane, Aly Muldowney, John Muldoon (capt), James Connolly, George Naoupu.
Replacements: Dave Heffernan, Ronan Loughney, Conan O’Donnell, Daniel Qualter, Sean O’Brien, Caolin Blade, Jack Carty, Craig Ronaldson.
Referee: Sebastien Minery (France)
Assistant Referees: Arnaud Blondel (France), Sergey Murashkin (Russia)
Match Odds (Paddy Power): Enisei-STM to win: 20/1; Draw: 70/1; Connacht to win: 1/50
Pre-Match Quotes: Pat Lam (Connacht) – “We said from the start that this was going to be a massive mental challenge for everybody involved, but I must say that the boys have handled the challenges thrown at them really well so far.
“We have adjusted to the environment as best we can in three days and have done all the necessary preparation ahead of Saturday’s game.
“We talked a lot about the weather but I think we underestimated how cold it actually would be. It was a shock to all of us! On Saturday it could hit as low as -22 degrees, so again it’s another test of our mental toughness.
“This is a big test for the guys selected but if we nail our detail and have the right mindset, we will put pressure on a side that will be hugely motivated in their first European game.
“We appreciate how important it was for Enisei to have a game in their home city. It’s an historical game as the team located furthest west (in Europe) meets the team furthest east and we’re proud and excited to be a part of it.
“It’s been a fascinating few days, and a lot of hard work has gone into getting us here. Now, it’s all about fronting up on Saturday.”
David Kacharava (Enisei-STM): “It’s a really big opportunity for Russian rugby to take one more step up in rugby. It is a really good chance to try and play more good rugby.
“To get more people playing rugby in Russia, because Russia is so big and not too many people play rugby in Russia. If rugby will be more popular in Russia, they have big chance to develop, and develop for a higher level.
“Making a good start to the Challenge Cup) is our target. It is a big event for the club and for rugby in Russia and we are looking forward to playing Connacht. It will be good for our supporters to see this standard of rugby.
“It’s great that our first game in Europe is taking place in Krasnoyarsk so that our supporters can see it. We will play the other games in Sochi but first we want to do well against Connacht.”
Current Form – Connacht – (GUINNESS PRO12): Won 29-23 at home to the Newport Gwent Dragons; Lost 33-32 away to Glasgow Warriors; Won 36-31 at home to Cardiff Blues; Won 34-15 at home to Zebre; Won 21-16 away to the Ospreys; Won 14-9 at home to Edinburgh; Won 33-19 at home to Benetton Treviso
Previous European Meetings: 0
Match Facts –
– Enisei-STM are making their Challenge Cup debut and will become the first Russian team to feature in the competition
– Connacht have won five of their six matches against teams from countries outside the Six Nations, with their only loss coming against Steaua Bucharest in the 1999/00 campaign
– Connacht have won nine of their last 13 pool matches away from home at the Challenge Cup
– Connacht conceded just 9.6 penalties per game last season, only Exeter Chiefs (8.3) gave away less on average
Challenge Cup Records:
Enisei-STM –
N/A
Connacht –
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
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