Bale-out of a different kind

DARA BRADLEY

BARRING a miracle, Connacht’s European hopes were all but extinguished by Harlequins on Sunday – it will be the first time in three seasons the Westerners fail to qualify for the knock-out stages of the Amlin Challenge Cup.

After losing to Italian Minnows Cavalieri Prato in the first round, qualification from Pool 1 was always going to be an uphill struggle but this 20- 9 defeat at the hands of the Londoners – their second loss in three cup games – means qualification is now virtually impossible given just the group winners advance.

Another gutsy performance with nothing to show for their efforts – Eric Elwood’s men probably deserved at least a losing bonus point from their trip to the Twickenham Stoop but conceding two soft tries wiped-out their efforts.

Despite playing well, the province has lost five of their last five competitive fixtures (a memorable friendly victory over Samoa, the only win since mid-October), which adds greater importance to this Friday night’s return leg against Harlequins at the Sportsground (7pm).

Harlequins and Bayonne are now both five points clear of Connacht, who also have a vastly inferior points-difference, but Friday’s match isvital in terms of ending the losing streak, recovering momentum and giving the squad a boost ahead of a pretty gruelling series of Magners League clashes over Christmas and New Year.

The five-day turnaround may force Elwood to rest key personnel – Harlequins, too, may travel with a weakened squad – as the coach keeps one eye on two key mouth watering inter-provincials clashes, at home to Munster on St Stephen’s Day (5pm), away to Leinster in the RDS on New Year’s Day (5.30pm), and a clash with Dragons at Rodney Parade five days later on January 6.

Connacht is taking precautions this week to ensure Friday’s clash doesn’t fall victim to another cold spell, which is forecast for this weekend. Temperatures are set to plummet again and the ground’scommittee has covered the playing surface with 80 bales of straw to stave off frost.

For more, read this week's Conacgt Sentinel.