Connacht left to fly Irish flag in Europe

Connacht 47 Enisei-STM 5: France beckons again for Connacht in this year’s European Challenge Cup quarter-finals and a meeting with Bernard Jackman’s Grenoble in April.

Having lost their chance of a home fixture, Connacht completed their campaign with a focused eight-try winning performance over Russian visitors Enisei-STM to top pool one, helped by Newcastle eventually pulling ahead of nearest rivals Brive. It is Connacht’s eighth quarter-final in 11 seasons, and coach Pat Lam is relishing the chance to see just how far his squad can go.

“I was determined to get in the quarter-finals because you are playing rugby in April and May and I look forward to what this group of guys can do in nice weather,” says Lam.