Connacht take their URC fight in South Africa to the Highveld where they face Emirates Lions on Saturday (3pm ) determined to secure another vital win to keep their top eight hopes alive.
With just three matches remaining, Connacht are seven points adrift of the DHL Stormers who currently hold that vital eighth and last quarter-final place after their 34-29 victory over the Irish province last weekend.
However, Connacht interim head coach Cullie Tucker continues to believe top eight is still a realistic ambition.
“We firmly believe it. We’re still in the fight. We’re still in the hunt, and that was the goal on this trip [to South Africa].”
Tucker says he was “very proud” of how Connacht pushed the Stormers all the way, and although not taking the winning spoils, they secured two valuable bonus points.
The players, he says, “were unrelenting”.
“Everything they did, how they kept coming back, kept showing up. So you know, once those traits are evident in them, we’ll be in every battle, every fight, and all going well, we will be coming back from Africa with two games to look forward to.”
Too often on the losing side by a score or two, Tucker says his players continue to “show up”.
“If you keep showing up and keep creating, that’s when you will get the rewards, and I’d be very worried if we were not in the fight in every game, but we are, so I believe that it will come right for us.”
Connacht now head to South Africa’s Highveld only a day before kick-off, aware of the effects of high altitude.
“For sure, the ball will fly longer. The ball will fly higher. Discipline has to be key because, you know, they were knocking over penalties of 60 metres last weekend. Obviously there’s the fatigue element, which we’ll have to manage through the game. But you know, ultimately, it’s still a game of rugby and we have to impose ourselves.”
Crucially, perhaps, is that the home side lies 14th on the URC with 31 points; Connacht are in 12th with 35, ensuring the visitors are “still very much in the fight”.
“While we wanted to take full points last week, two points still keeps us very much in the hunt with three games to go. So that’s a huge carrot for us, huge motivation, and the boys are already working hard towards that goal.”
The squad is in “good health”, while Hugh Gavin and Shane Bolton are “tracking well”.
Honours are shared between the sides in games played in Galway, but Connacht produced a 30-33 win in 2021/22 which gives them hope of repeating that feat in South Africa. The home side is without a win in their last five games, including a home loss to Benetton last weekend, 42-31, and Connacht have a real chance to take the points on offer.
Tucker is adamant Connacht is in a “great position” to push for the the play-offs.
“The fact that we’ve scored so many tries, the fact that we’ve had so many near misses, 15 bonus points, by far the most of any team. It’s just been fine margins at times that have cost us a fair amount of victories this year, unfortunately.
“So, three games to go, but the character that I’ve seen since I came in as interim [coach], and the fight from the guys, I firmly believe the last three games, we’re in a great place to push for play-offs.”
