Connacht face into their last home game of the regular URC season against Cardiff at the Sportsground on Saturday (kick-off 7.35pm) knowing that a win will secure a place in the playoffs. What’s more, were they to beat both Cardiff and Glasgow away a week later, they would earn a place in next season’s Champions Cup.
Considering they are competing against much better funded rivals, be they the three Irish provinces (whose budgets range are around a double of Connacht’s, or more) or the Welsh and Scottish regions, not to mention the South African powerhouses, that would be quite an achievement.
Connacht’s budget is estimated to be around €5 million, not much more than Zebre Parma’s and even less than Benetton (about €8.5 million). Furthermore, initially handed URC games away against three of last season’s semi-finalists and at home to Leinster in round five, after which they had one win, Connacht have moved into the play-off picture on the back of five successive URC wins.
“But it means nothing if we don’t win at the weekend because we drop out the other end of it,” said Andy Friend, their director of rugby, aware that were Connacht to slip up they could also miss out on the playoffs and the Champions Cup.
“We’re all very aware of that and it’s just about us, at this stage of the season, becoming really comfortable with who we are as a group, the style of rugby that we’re playing and making sure that we deliver on Saturday.”
While the top eight will advance to the playoffs, as things stand a top-seven finish will be required to qualify for the Champions Cup.
However, were Benetton to win the Challenge Cup (they are away to Toulon in the semi-finals) that would raise the Champions Cup qualification bar to the top six, and ditto were the Scarlets to win the Challenge Cup and not top the Welsh Shield.
So Connacht and Friend need of a win, but he is also acutely aware that Cardiff need a victory to retain their play-off hopes and Champions Cup hopes via their leadership of the Welsh Shield.
Helpfully, Connacht welcome back Jack Carty, Finlay Bealham, Denis Buckley, Jarrad Butler, Josh Murphy and Byron Ralston from injury, albeit John Porch and Dave Heffernan have been ruled out.
This will, in all likelihood, be Friend’s last home game after five seasons with the province.
“I haven’t given that a great deal of thought,” he said, although he added: “My brother [Dave] is coming over from Australia. He said to me about three months ago: ‘Jeeze, it’s a bit of a pisser that I haven’t been to Connacht. I’m sorry I’m not going to get there’.
“I said: ‘Well, that’s a choice you’ve made mate’.
“He rang me two days later and said: ‘Righto, I’m coming’ I said: ‘Good!’.
“That’ll be special having him here, but it’s not about me or anyone else leaving. It’s about us as a collective trying to get another win and staying in that top eight. I’m excited about that more than anything to be honest with you.”
Friend’s parents [Prue and Brian] and two boys [Josh and Jackson] visited in his and Kerri’s first year in Galway, perhaps because they didn’t expect such a nomadic rugby man to stay out west so long.
This is his longest stint in one role during a coaching career that has taken him to Harlequins, the Brumbies, Japan and the Australian 7s.
“We’re going to miss it,” he admitted. “My wife and I were only talking about it the other day. It’s the longest I’ve lived anywhere other than the first five years of my life when I was born in Canberra and we lived there - not that I had much to do with that.
“So, I’ve never lived anywhere longer than five years. There’s a real attraction to Galway, to Connacht in particular, and this club. We’ve loved our time here but all good things come to an end. It’s not at an end yet but it will be tough to leave.”
He has no doubts that Connacht are on a solid footing for the future.
“I think there’s a lot of positive around the club and around the province,” he says, citing the “outstanding” coaching and playing groups for next season, the Sportsground’s ongoing redevelopment, the pathways designed by provincial Ttalent coach Mervyn Murphy, the women’s game and the club game.
“I think Connacht is in a great spot, and as one of four provinces, I think Ireland is in a great spot,” he concludes. “I think Ireland has got a lot to be proud of and I think Connacht has got a lot to be proud of, and I think they’re positioned very well for a really exciting future.”
As to what qualifying for the playoffs and next season’s Champions Cup would represent for Connacht rugby, Friend said: “For all coaches and players, you want to play against the best and you want to challenge yourself against the best, and respectfully the best is the Champions Cup.
“This year we missed it unfortunately. It would be lovely to win the Challenge Cup, we missed that opportunity with our loss against Benetton, but we believe we belong in that Champions Cup and hopefully we can continue on our winning ways.
“Saturday is a massive day for us to try and secure a top eight spot but that’s our aim, to be in the playoffs and to play Champions Cup rugby.”
URC run-in
1st: Leinster (74pts)
Fixtures: Sat v Lions (a); Sat 22nd v Bulls (a).
They may have taken an understrength squad secure in the knowledge that they have a top seeding into the URC knock-out stages. Even so, they will be seeking to maintain their 22-game unbeaten campaign to date.
2nd: Stormers (61 pts)
Fixtures: Sat v Munster (h); Fri 21st v Benetton (h).
Nine points from their final two games will guarantee the holders a quarter-final, and potentially a semi-final, in Cape Town
3rd: Ulster (59pts)
Fixtures: Fri v Dragons (h); Fri 21st v Benetton (h).
Pretty much assured of a home quarter-final, two more wins will ensure a top-three place and so avoid Leinster until at least the final. To set up a potential home semi-final, and most likely avoid a trip to Cape Town, they would need to overhaul the Stormers, so in all probability would need a favour from Munster this Saturday.
4th: Glasgow (54 pts)
Fixtures: Fri v Scarlets (h); Sat 22nd v Connacht (h).
A win at home to the Scarlets will nail down a home quarter-final unless Munster accumulate an unlikely maximum of ten points from their two games in South Africa. Climbing any further looks unlikely.
5th: Munster (48 pts)
Fixtures: Saturday v Stormers (a); Sat 22nd v Sharks (a).
Although Munster have recovered well from losing five of their first seven games to win seven of their last nine, that defeat at home to Glasgow has pretty much ruled out hope of a home quarter-final. What’s more, unless they pick up points in South Africa, they could be overtaken by the three teams below them. An eighth-place finish would mean an away quarter-final against Leinster, but no Champions Cup rugby next season.
6th: Connacht (44 pts).
Fixtures: Sat v Cardiff (h); Sat 22nd v Glasgow (a).
A win over Cardiff would secure a quarter-final, although a slip-up would likely see them drop to eighth and ensure a tricky final weekend. Two wins though, and they will also play Champions Cup rugby next season.
7th: Bulls (43 pts)
Fixtures: Sat v Zebre (h); Sat 22nd v Leinster (h).
Beating Zebre could secure a quarter-final place depending on results elsewhere, and coupled with a victory over Leinster as well would ensure a top seven place and so Champions Cup qualification as well.
8th: Sharks (41 pts)
Fixtures: Fri v Benetton (h); Sat 22nd v Munster (h).
A win over Benetton could be enough to secure a play-off place and depending on Munster’s result on Saturday, potentially set-up up a hugely significant last-day rematch against Graham Rowntree’s team after knocking them out of the Champions Cup.
9th: Benetton (40pts)
Fixtures: Friday v Sharks (away); Friday 2st v Stormers (away).
Need at least one win from their final two games in South Africa to maintain play-off hopes, and defeat on Friday could end those chances. Then face a Challenge Cup semi-final away to Toulon.
10th: Cardiff (39 pts).
Fixtures: Saturday v Connacht (away); v Sat 22nd v Ospreys (away).
To retain hopes of making the playoffs, the Blues need to win in Galway. They then face a potential Champions Cup qualifying play-off away to the Ospreys in the Welsh Shield.
11th: Lions (38 pts).
Fixtures: Saturday v Leinster (home); Saturday 22nd v Zebre (home).
Would need two wins and favours elsewhere to make it into the top eight.
