Cullie Tucker: 'It’s knock-out rugby and we’re at home, which is a massive advantage'

KNOCK OUT RUGBY: Connacht return to the Dexcom Stadium as they face Cardiff for the third time in 11 weeks. Pic:©INPHO/James Crombie

Connacht’s stand-in head coach Cullie Tucker said they won’t have any issue adjusting from the high of playing in front of over 27,000 last weekend to running out in a front of a few thousand in Galway this weekend for their Challenge Cup knockout clash against Cardiff.

The Sportsground in Galway remains a building site and while work on the €40m redevelopment into what’s now called Dexcom Stadium continues apace, there will only be a few thousand present at a venue which will eventually hold 10,000 when it’s finished.

Tucker said they won’t have any difficulty adjusting from the high of Saturday’s experience at MacHale Park in Castlebar to staging the game at a venue under development and with home advantage available all the way to the final in Cardiff if they can advance, the prize is huge this Saturday night.

“I think motivation of, you know, you take your motivation from different places all the time,” said Tucker, who is heading the management team in the continued absence of head coach Pete Wilkins who is on sick leave.

“You know, we got it from the crowd at the weekend, now we have to get it from ourselves, and we have to get it from the quality of opposition. So, as coaches, as players, that's what we have to tap into every week. I think it's just part of the job,” he added.

It will be Connacht’s third meeting with Cardiff in eleven weeks. They defeated them 28-19 at the Arms Park in January in the pool stages of the Challenge Cup and then they turned them over 24-19 in the league at Dexcom Stadium in February.

Cardiff became the 50th team that Connacht have played in the Challenge Cup, a competition where they have played more games than any other team in Europe.

Cardiff were also the seventh Welsh team that Connacht have faced in the competition — even though they have never played against the Ospreys, Dragons or Scarlets in the Challenge Cup.

Back in the early years of the competition they played Newport, Neath, Dunvant, Ebbw Vale, Caerphilly and Pontypridd and Saturday’s clash with Cardiff will be their 139th in the competition. To date they have won 76, drawn one and lost 61 times.

They have reached the semi-finals of the Challenge Cup three times but have never managed to make it to the final of Europe’s second tier competition.

If they win on Saturday they will face either Racing 92 or Perpignan back in Galway next week. If they manage to get past that stage Connacht, who have not made it to the semi-finals for 15 years, will face one of Ospreys/Scarlets or Lyon/Sharks in the last four.

First things first though and taking care of Cardiff is the top priority for Tucker and his men this weekend.

“It’s knock-out rugby and we’re at home, which is a massive advantage. We obviously know each other very well, we have played each other twice this season,” added Tucker.

“It’s a game we’re massively looking forward to. They have a lot of Welsh internationals back as well, which will boost them, so it’s going to be big challenge for us.” 

Cardiff only had to win one game to get this far, while Connacht topped their pool with four straight wins. But Cardiff, with their head coach Matt Sherratt filling in well as Welsh interim boss during the Six Nations following the departure of Warren Gatland, are three points above Connacht in the URC but outside the qualification spots in ninth with the westerners languishing in 13th place in the league.

Tucker and his coaching team have made five changes to the side which went down 30-24 to Munster. Three of the changes are in the backs with Shayne Bolton coming on to the right wing in place of Chay Mullins while a new half-back partnership of JJ Hanrahan and Matthew Devine takes over from Josh Ioane and Caolin Blade, who are included on a five-three bench split.

Up front, Josh Murphy starts as skipper Cian Prendergast continues his return to play protocols, while Oisin Dowling comes into the second row in place of Joe Joyce.

Dave Heffernan will captain the side in an unchanged front row where both himself and Finlay Bealham will make their 215th appearance for the province.

CONNACHT: M Hansen; S Bolton, H Gavin, B Aki, F Treacy; JJ Hanrahan, M Devine; J Duggan, D Heffernan, F Bealham; O Dowling, D Murray; J Murphy, S Hurley-Langton, S Jansen. 

Replacements: D Tierney-Martin, D Buckley, J Aungier, N Murray, P Boyle, C Blade, J Ioane, P O’Conor.

CARDIFF: C Winnett; J Adams, R Lee-Lo, B Thomas, H Millard; C Sheedy, J Mulder; D Southworth, L Belcher, K Assiratti; J McNally, T Williams; A Lawrence, J Botham, T Faletau. 

Replacements: E Lloyd, C Domachowski, R Litterick, R Thornton, A Mann, T Young, E Bevan, R Jennings.

Referee: Luc Ramos (France)