Battered and bruised Connacht braced for backlash

Already battered and bruised from Sunday’s exertions in Toulouse, Connacht will be without Michael Swift for the return leg on Saturday in the Galway Sportsground.

The Connacht co-captain will be out for up to four weeks after fracturing a cheek bone — hardly what they’d have wanted days before a wounded Toulouse arrive in the west seeking revenge for their shock defeat last Sunday.

Training will be curtailed this week to help the rest of the players who are nursing “bumps and bruises” before Saturday’s round four Heineken Cup fixture.