Connacht are hoping for good news on the availability of their captain Cian Prendergast for Saturday’s European fixture against Racing 92 in Galway.
Having suffered a head injury against Munster, the Connacht captain missed last weekend’s Challenge Cup round of 16 win, and management says a decision on his availability will be made later in the week as he continues to progress through the necessary head injury protocols.
“Everything is tracking positively so far,” says Connacht coach Cullie Tucker. “Our medical team is outstanding in terms of monitoring that, so I’m guided by those guys.”
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There was good news on prop Peter Dooley who returned to full training following a calf strain that forced him to miss the last three games, while Piers O’Conor is available, having recovered from illness which resulted in his late withdrawal from the Cardiff game.
Long-term absentees Sean O’Brien (hamstring) and Byron Ralston (knee) are the only players ruled out of the game at this stage.
Connacht face the famous French outfit following a solid 35-20 win over fellow URC competitors Cardiff - a timely boost having suffered defeats to both Munster and Ospreys. Now coach Tucker is looking for more again from his players.
“I think we were fairly clinical in that we came out of the 22 with seven points on average, which is very high,” he says.
“We left three glaring ones out there in the first half, but we certainly are creating chances. If you keep creating, you’ll get into the habit of finishing off more.”
Tucker expects Racing will arrive in the west boasting several big-name players, but says Connacht must “concentrate on ourselves”.
“The Racing squad is so big and so packed with quality that they could bring any number of teams. So obviously we going to be massively focused on the threats they can bring - players like Nolann Le Garrec, Owen Farrell, [Gael] Fickou - the list goes on and on.
“Whatever team they bring over will be stacked with quality. So it’s being aware of their threats, but focusing on our own structures and systems is the best way forward.”
However, he says, the arrival of the famous Paris side is exciting for his players.
“I think European rugby is very exciting in general, and that’s the reason you’re facing combinations you’re not used to coming up against. So there’s a little bit of an unknown to it, but that comes back to the quality of your preparation as well.
“When you rattle off the names, you can see the challenge they present, the quality they have in their squad, but also how exciting it is to play against that international quality and test ourselves at that level.”
Connacht will be looking to the likes of Ireland’s Mack Hansen to lead the backline.
“He’s one of our X-factor players. He has great quality, and fullback allows him to roam around and get on the ball, which [he] is so effective at as well. What you don’t appreciate with Mack is his off-the-ball work - the quality of his backfield and how he moves off the ball to get into those positions.
“While he has the quality and the X-factor, it’s his work rate as well, and how he shows up for the team every week. The quality of his training is brilliant. He’s such a great character, so unique, but he’s a great pro as well, which sets him up to be successful every week.”
Racing 92’s recent form has improved in the French Championship, with Patrice Collazo having taken over from Stuart Lancaster in February.
“[They’ve] won four in the last six [games] as well. So their form isn’t that bad. And then, just open up the team sheet and reel off the quality - it’s an outstanding team. They have unbelievable quality that can hurt you. They’ve gotten the bounces from a change in coach as well - so a very, very dangerous team coming over here.”
