After two wins on the bounce, Connacht are now looking to add a third when they host Scarlets at Dexcom Stadium on Friday (7.45pm ).
Stuart Lancaster’s side will head into his rearranged fixture, which was postponed due to Storm Army, with greater confidence after recent victories away to Zebre and at home to Glasgow.
Importantly, they have moved up the table to 10th position - just two from the top eight, but still five points behind. And after an upturn in form, Lancaster will be hoping a third win in a row against the Welsh outfit would put them in a strong position in the race for Champions Cup rugby.
Although not currently contenders, Scarlets, currently in 25th position, are capable of beating most URC teams despite the challenges facing Welsh Rugby. It ensures head coach Dwayne Peel and interim director of rugby Nigel Davies will have their team primed for this visit to Galway.
Connacht will be missing Harry West (knee ) and Caolin Blade (thumb ) due to injuries in their win over Glasgow. David Hawkshaw (groin ) is expected to be unavailable for a number of weeks, and still ruled out are Temi Lasisi (knee ), Oisin Dowling (knee ), Hugh Gavin (shoulder ), Byron Ralston (knee ), Mack Hansen (foot ) and Shayne Bolton (quad ).
However, good news is the availability of scrumhalf Ben Murphy who has recovered from a rib injury, while Dave Heffernan (calf ), Shamus Hurley-Langton (shoulder ) and Matthew Devine (knee ) have returned to training.
Scrum and contact coach Culllie Tucker says Connacht’s challenge is to maintain their recent winning form to keep them in touch of the top eight.
“They kept fighting till the end [against Glasgow], and they played their best rugby in the last 12 minutes, which is testament to them and how we're training as well. So I think it's just great to see them getting what they deserve in terms of the efforts they put in every week.
“The challenge for us now is to consistently back it up,” Tucker says.
“This is a huge game for us - it could cement our place and put us right back into ninth position, looking into the top eight from the positive point of view.”
Also crucial are the Connacht supporters, he says, after Connacht’s 15-10 win over Glasgow Warriors who remain top of the URC table.
“I thought the supporters against Glasgow were incredible. Having the stand open now is definitely a big advantage to us. And you know, we feed off the crowd and the energy, and we just thought they were magnificent.
“Scarlets tend to get better as the year goes on, more cohesive. They're a very good side, tough at the ruck, and their contact skills are very strong.”
With players such as Josh McLeod, Marnus Van Der Merwe, Max Douglas, and Jarrad Taylor - they are all top poachers in the URC, and they're going to be a handful for us for sure.”
Tucker, who is taking over as Ireland U20 head coach, says the new Dexcom can become a real fortress for Connacht.
“Obviously, during the build phase of it, we definitely missed the supporters - in terms of getting energy for the team on the pitch. We spoke a lot about making our own energy, but that can be quite difficult as well.
“And then look at the Leinster game - 12,000 sell-out, although it felt like 80,000 people. It was the best environment I've ever coached, in the best game from an atmosphere point of view I've ever coached.
“And then Glasgow - the noise when we scored the maul try. So the energy we get from that, from the supporters, is huge. And there's an obligation on us now to make this place a fortress again, because I don't think we've done that justice in the last couple of years.”
