European Rugby Challenge Cup final

Connacht loosehead prop Denis Buckley has likened the end of this campaign to a fallow period during Pat Lam’s tenure and is confident the province can bounce back.

Gloucester survived a frantic finish to end Connacht's unbeaten run in the European Challenge Cup with a 33-28 quarter-final win at the Sportsground.

Connacht prop JP Cooney has been ruled out for most of the remainder of the season while coach Kieran Keane is sweating on the fitness of loosehead Denis Buckley and impressive flanker Jarrad Butler ahead of Saturday’s showdown with Ulster.

It's that time of the year again!

Up to 134 games will be screened live over the nine weekends of European action.

Gloucester 17 Stade Francais 25: Gloucester let an early 10-point lead slip to go down to Stade Francais at BT Murrayfield as they failed to impose themselves in the European Challenge Cup final.

Joe Marler will face an anxious wait to see whether he will be hit with another disciplinary hearing after appearing to kick Grenoble hooker Arnaud Heguy in the head.

Connacht’s rising young prop Finlay Bealham, known for his physicality, is expecting another bruising challenge against Newcastle on Sunday in the second of the European Challenge Cup back-to-back fixtures.

Jack Carty was the man of the match as he out-kicked his counterpart with six penalties to one.

Connacht will aim to put the “mental challenge” of a marathon journey home from Siberia behind them when they resume European Challenge Cup action on Saturday.

Hooker Matthew Rees was rightly sent off for this appalling foul play in a Challenge Cup game last night.

European Champions Cup and Challenge Cup organisers say they are considering “all possible fixture permutations” following opening-round postponements in both competitions.

Who will your side get?

Connacht paid the price for a poor first half when the English favourites Gloucester sealed the first semi-final berth in this year’s Challenge Cup.

The Package rolled back the years to win for the first time at the Cheltenham Festival and give Jamie Codd a second success of the week in the Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup yesterday.