Winning start key for Connacht as they face up to tough opening

Andy Friend knows that a winning start this weekend at Kingspan Stadium would give Connacht huge momentum as they prepare for their toughest opening ever to a campaign

TRICKY START: Connacht’s director of rugby Andy Friend is facing up to a tricky start to the season. Pic: INPHO/James Crombie

Andy Friend is the only Connacht coach to taste success in Belfast in the professional era and he knows that a winning start this weekend at Kingspan Stadium would give them huge momentum as they prepare for their toughest opening ever to a campaign.

A trip to South Africa to take on champions the Stormers and runners-up the Bulls will be followed by home ties against Munster and Leinster, but Friend said these are challenges that are going to have to be faced at some stage.

He led Connacht to their first league win in the professional era in Ravenhill when they triumphed 22-15 there four years ago and they followed it up with a 26-24 victory there in the Rainbow Cup last year.

And having missed out on Champions Cup qualification this season, Friend said the target for the season in the league and Challenge Cup is pretty straightforward.

“It’s simple, we want to make the play-offs in both, that’s our target. URC has to be our bread and butter because if we can make URC play-offs we know we are in Champions Cup next year.

“That’s a challenge that we get into, that’s the competition that we want to get into. We weren’t successful last year in getting into that so we want to make sure we make the play-offs of the URC. And if we can go further than that we will wait until we get to that time, we can discuss that. That is just the minimum there.

“Then for Challenge Cup last year was our first year making it to the knockout stages of Champions Cup, we want to do the same this year in the Challenge Cup and go from there.” 

He’s confident Connacht have the resources to achieve those targets, notwithstanding losing the likes of experienced scrum-half Caolin Blade, prop Sam Illo, hooker Dylan Tierney-Martin and Cian Prendergast to the Emerging Ireland squad which is heading to Bloemfontein for three games.

“I honestly enter all these competitions thinking we can. But again, it’s a long old season in front of us. So the minute we just set out the stall that we want to get to the knockout stages.

“When we hit those knockout stages we will see where we are as a squad. We will see what we want to do and how far we can go from there.

“I never entered a competition, and we never entered a competition, not wanting to win it. But you have got to be realistic. You have got to say listen, let’s build the process and build the little goals, the steps to get us to where we eventually want to end up.

“That first little step is, let’s get to the knockout stages and see where we can from there,” added Friend.