CONNACHT HAVE ONLY crossed paths with Leicester Tigers once in European competition, with that sole meeting coming in the Challenge Cup last April.
Neither side will read too much into that hectic encounter – the teams sharing 11 tries in a 48-32 win for the Tigers at Welford Road – as they prepare to do battle at the same venue today [KO 1pm, BT Sport].
The feel-good factor around Connacht has been palpable recently, even allowing for the second-half wobble against Leinster earlier this month. So far this season, they have beaten good teams – Ulster, Stade Francais – and come close against others – Munster – all the while playing some of the best rugby across any of the United Rugby Championship members.
Leicester have been enjoying a resurgence of their own, too. Having spent a couple of seasons hanging around the bottom half of the Premiership table, the Tigers are beginning to look something like the force of old again.
Following back-to-back 11th place finishes in the Premiership (2018/19 and 2019/20), the Tigers jumped up to sixth last season and made it all the way to the Challenge Cup final, where they lost to Philippe Saint-Andre’s Montpellier.
This year Leicester are 10 wins from 10 across the Premiership and Champions Cup, as they look to mount a serious challenge for a first league title since 2013.
They’ve done this by applying a simple, yet devastating gameplan. Under head coach Steve Borthwick, Leicester have put a major focus on the strength of their forward pack, with their maul now one of the most effective in English rugby.
They look to pin you in your own half and then drive you backwards. In round one of the Champions Cup, Leicester made more kicks from hand than any other team (58), with their return in terms of metres gained from those kicks (2,267 metres) also the highest figure across the weekend’s fixtures.
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Connacht were on the losing side at Welford Road in April. James Crombie / INPHO
James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO
Naturally, the fear is that Connacht will struggle to live with Leicester’s physicality for the full 80 minutes. It’s only two weeks since the province were outmuscled by Leinster at the RDS, and last weekend at the Sportsground Connacht looked vulnerable around the maul even in putting six tries past Stade Francais.
The return of powerful athletes like Bundee Aki – who pulls on a Connacht shirt for the first time in two months – and tighthead Finlay Bealham are certainly welcome boosts, but Connacht don’t want this to become an arm wrestle. Andy Friend has stressed that his team will look to play to their own strengths – moving the ball at speed and varying the point of attack in a bid to stretch the Tigers’ defence.
The have the talent in their ranks to ask serious questions of the Tigers, but this certainly looks a big ask for a Connacht team looking to break new ground – the province have never won in six Champions Cup trips to England.
They can however take encouragement from the fact that this a not a locked and loaded Tigers team, with George Ford, Richard Wigglesworth, Nemani Nadolo and Ellis Genge – who is set to rejoin Bristol Bears at the end of the season – some of the more notable absentees today.
Cian Prendergast has been in strong form for Connacht. James Crombie / INPHO
James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO
Connacht, on the other hand, have welcomed back six internationals for the fixture and should arrive full of confidence given the nature of some of their performances this season.
“Leicester have gone back to what Leicester have been known for, a strong set piece, physical, confrontational, have built Welford Road as a fortress, and they really love to get a foothold in the game through their set-piece, their scrum, maul, and physically trying to impose themselves,” says Connacht flanker, Cian Prendergast.
“It’s a tough place to go, not only physically but mentally as well and you have to be up for the challenge every time you go into a contact. You can’t half-ass it as you are going to come off second best.
“It’s the beauty of European rugby. These are the games you really want to play. You want to get a benchmark of where you are as an individual and as a team, and where you are in this journey with this new and young group that we have. We want to really want to test ourselves and get a win.”
It’s a tough ask, but maybe today is the day they finally take a big scalp on English soil.
LEICESTER: Bryce Hegarty; Freddie Steward, Matt Scott, Dan Kelly, Hosea Saumaki; Freddie Burns, Ben Youngs; Nephi Leatigaga, Nic Dolly; Joe Heyes, Harry Wells; Eli Snyman; George Martin, Tommy Reffell, Jasper Wiese.
Replacements: Julián Montoya, James Whitcombe, Dan Cole, Calum Green, Ollie Chessum, Marco van Staden, Jack van Poortvliet, Guy Porter.
CONNACHT: Tiernan O’Halloran; John Porch, Sam Arnold, Bundee Aki, Alex Wootton; Jack Carty (captain), Kieran Marmion; Matthew Burke, David Heffernan, Finlay Bealham; Ultan Dillane, Niall Murray; Cian Prendergast, Conor Oliver, Jarrad Butler.
Replacements: Shane Delahunt, Tietie Tuimauga, Jack Aungier, Leva Fifita, Abraham Papali’i, Caolin Blade, Conor Fitzgerald, Diarmuid Kilgallen.
Former Munster hooker Mike Sherry joins Murray Kinsella and Gavan Casey to discuss all the goings on from one of the most insane weeks of Irish rugby news in living memory.
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Connacht have tools to trouble revitalised Leicester at Welford Road
CONNACHT HAVE ONLY crossed paths with Leicester Tigers once in European competition, with that sole meeting coming in the Challenge Cup last April.
Neither side will read too much into that hectic encounter – the teams sharing 11 tries in a 48-32 win for the Tigers at Welford Road – as they prepare to do battle at the same venue today [KO 1pm, BT Sport].
As Connacht head coach Andy Friend stressed during in the week, both squads have developed since then.
The feel-good factor around Connacht has been palpable recently, even allowing for the second-half wobble against Leinster earlier this month. So far this season, they have beaten good teams – Ulster, Stade Francais – and come close against others – Munster – all the while playing some of the best rugby across any of the United Rugby Championship members.
Leicester have been enjoying a resurgence of their own, too. Having spent a couple of seasons hanging around the bottom half of the Premiership table, the Tigers are beginning to look something like the force of old again.
Following back-to-back 11th place finishes in the Premiership (2018/19 and 2019/20), the Tigers jumped up to sixth last season and made it all the way to the Challenge Cup final, where they lost to Philippe Saint-Andre’s Montpellier.
This year Leicester are 10 wins from 10 across the Premiership and Champions Cup, as they look to mount a serious challenge for a first league title since 2013.
They’ve done this by applying a simple, yet devastating gameplan. Under head coach Steve Borthwick, Leicester have put a major focus on the strength of their forward pack, with their maul now one of the most effective in English rugby.
They look to pin you in your own half and then drive you backwards. In round one of the Champions Cup, Leicester made more kicks from hand than any other team (58), with their return in terms of metres gained from those kicks (2,267 metres) also the highest figure across the weekend’s fixtures.
Naturally, the fear is that Connacht will struggle to live with Leicester’s physicality for the full 80 minutes. It’s only two weeks since the province were outmuscled by Leinster at the RDS, and last weekend at the Sportsground Connacht looked vulnerable around the maul even in putting six tries past Stade Francais.
The return of powerful athletes like Bundee Aki – who pulls on a Connacht shirt for the first time in two months – and tighthead Finlay Bealham are certainly welcome boosts, but Connacht don’t want this to become an arm wrestle. Andy Friend has stressed that his team will look to play to their own strengths – moving the ball at speed and varying the point of attack in a bid to stretch the Tigers’ defence.
The have the talent in their ranks to ask serious questions of the Tigers, but this certainly looks a big ask for a Connacht team looking to break new ground – the province have never won in six Champions Cup trips to England.
They can however take encouragement from the fact that this a not a locked and loaded Tigers team, with George Ford, Richard Wigglesworth, Nemani Nadolo and Ellis Genge – who is set to rejoin Bristol Bears at the end of the season – some of the more notable absentees today.
Connacht, on the other hand, have welcomed back six internationals for the fixture and should arrive full of confidence given the nature of some of their performances this season.
“Leicester have gone back to what Leicester have been known for, a strong set piece, physical, confrontational, have built Welford Road as a fortress, and they really love to get a foothold in the game through their set-piece, their scrum, maul, and physically trying to impose themselves,” says Connacht flanker, Cian Prendergast.
“It’s a tough place to go, not only physically but mentally as well and you have to be up for the challenge every time you go into a contact. You can’t half-ass it as you are going to come off second best.
“It’s the beauty of European rugby. These are the games you really want to play. You want to get a benchmark of where you are as an individual and as a team, and where you are in this journey with this new and young group that we have. We want to really want to test ourselves and get a win.”
It’s a tough ask, but maybe today is the day they finally take a big scalp on English soil.
LEICESTER: Bryce Hegarty; Freddie Steward, Matt Scott, Dan Kelly, Hosea Saumaki; Freddie Burns, Ben Youngs; Nephi Leatigaga, Nic Dolly; Joe Heyes, Harry Wells; Eli Snyman; George Martin, Tommy Reffell, Jasper Wiese.
Replacements: Julián Montoya, James Whitcombe, Dan Cole, Calum Green, Ollie Chessum, Marco van Staden, Jack van Poortvliet, Guy Porter.
CONNACHT: Tiernan O’Halloran; John Porch, Sam Arnold, Bundee Aki, Alex Wootton; Jack Carty (captain), Kieran Marmion; Matthew Burke, David Heffernan, Finlay Bealham; Ultan Dillane, Niall Murray; Cian Prendergast, Conor Oliver, Jarrad Butler.
Replacements: Shane Delahunt, Tietie Tuimauga, Jack Aungier, Leva Fifita, Abraham Papali’i, Caolin Blade, Conor Fitzgerald, Diarmuid Kilgallen.
Referee: Mike Adamson.
The42 Rugby Weekly / SoundCloud
Former Munster hooker Mike Sherry joins Murray Kinsella and Gavan Casey to discuss all the goings on from one of the most insane weeks of Irish rugby news in living memory.
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Andy Friend Cian Prendergast European Rugby Champions Cup Connacht Leicester Tigers tiger's den Welford Road