Connacht hope to reap benefit from Munster Amlin bid

IT WILL not just be Munster fans hoping for a victory over London Irish and qualification for the Amlin Challenge Cup today.

Connacht have more than a passing interest in their Irish brothers reaching the Amlin Challenge and going on to win the second-tier trophy because that means the western province qualify for next season’s Heineken Cup.

A Munster success in the May 20 final at Cardiff City Stadium will give the two-time Heineken Cup champions a berth in the premier European competition as Amlin winners rather than as one of Ireland’s three representatives in the draw. That in turn will mean the vacant spot would go to Connacht, putting all four provinces in the tournament.

That is what happened last year in Wales, when Cardiff Blues’ Amlin final win over Toulon allowed Scarlets into the Heineken Cup as a fourth side from that country.

Just a victory for Munster at Thomond Park today may not be enough, however, as Tony McGahan’s side bids to claim one of the three spots on offer to Heineken Cup group runners-up in the Amlin last eight.

With Heineken pools four and five virtually guaranteed to provide the two best runners-up for that competition’s quarter-finals, the next three best runners-up will go into the Challenge Cup last eight.

Of the four pool runners-up heading into this weekend’s sixth and final round of games, Clermont Auvergne travelled to pool two bottom club Saracens last night with 14 points in the table, while London Wasps have 15 in pool six and host defending champions Toulouse on Sunday.

Munster are on 11 points and could do with a bonus-point win over London Irish at Thomond Park if they are to edge ahead of Pool One’s Castres. The French side are also on 11 points but entertain runaway Pool winners Northampton Saints.

And it would not all be plain sailing from there as there is a seeded draw for the challenge cup quarter-finals with the best four Amlin pool winners all at home in the last eight and the fifth-ranked pool winner from that competition joining all the incoming Heineken Cup teams as away teams before an open draw determines the semi-finals.

Which means, if the draw was determined on current rank, either Munster or Castres would be facing a tough trip to Brive.