Connacht gear for another tough Pau test
Pau qualified by virtue of a comfortable aggregate win over Italian side Parma in the first round, and Connacht's Michael Bradley is preparing for another tough assignment.
"What we know of them is that they are similar to Beziers, but more balanced, and we will be studying them closer later in the week," said Bradley.
"It is a different prospect because we will feel the pressure to get a result in the first game to take a psychological advantage into the away tie. They are very strong at home, having won five from five in the French Championship, but their away record is not that good, having won only one."
Connacht go into January's next round without the services of prop Fabien Boiroux who was banned for nine weeks following a head-butting incident against Beziers last Saturday. Coupled with the loss of prop Ray Hogan through injury, it has added pressure on the squad. However, Peter Bracken and Warren O'Kelly are expected to be back in action.
"They play a good brand of rugby. They possess the hardness of Beziers, but with more flair, and as a result it is a different prospect for us," he said.
"We have a fair degree of ambition in this side and we will make it difficult for anyone who comes to Galway."
Connacht host Pau on January 10 with the away leg the following Saturday. Both games take place after Connacht meet Munster in the Celtic League in Athlone on January 2.
Meanwhile, England's Jonny Wilkinson has given an insight into the ice-cool character which allowed him to famously drop-kick his way to World Cup glory by revealing he did not make a fuss when his chauffeur-driven car ploughed into a tree.
Wilkinson was travelling home to Newcastle after England's victory parade through the streets of London when the car spun on ice, left the A1 in north Yorkshire and hit a tree.
"It didn't cross my mind to mention it, because I wasn't remotely shaken by it," Wilkinson said yesterday.
"I got home a tiny bit later than I wanted to, but had a decent night's sleep, so got on with my training though I did say to someone over lunch: 'You know, the craziest thing happened to me last night'.
"There was a bit of ice on the road, I think. I was travelling in the back. The driver did very well, because the car went one way and he managed to pull it the other as we were heading into a ditch and towards a tree, which caught the side of the car.
"I said the to the driver 'well done' because he did a really good job. He said: 'You okay?' I said: 'Yeah. Let's get this car sorted out, and I'll organise a lift home'."
England's preparations for their World Cup celebration match suffered a double setback when Steve Thompson and Charlie Hodgson were ruled out through injury.
Northampton hooker Thompson sprained his right ankle during training and will be replaced by Leeds' Mark Regan for the fixture against a hastily-assembled New Zealand Barbarians outfit.
Regan, Thompson's World Cup understudy, moves off the replacements' bench, and Sale Sharks forward Andy Titterrell joins the substitutes.
In a second enforced change, Sale fly-half Hodgson has not recovered from a knee problem sustained during his club's Heineken Cup defeat against Biarritz last Saturday.
Hodgson's injury means a call-up to the bench for Newcastle back Ben Gollings, a mainstay of England's sevens squad.
Following distribution of tickets through standard channels for Munster's meeting with Gloucester in the Heineken Cup, 1,260 tickets (630 pairs), will be available for sale to the general public.
Munster Rugby are inviting members of the public to apply in writing on a postcard to the Munster Branch office in Thomond Park, Limerick, with their details and a daytime contact telephone number.
A draw will take place on January 5 and successful applicants will be notified by telephone of their option to purchase two tickets.
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