Connacht, having bagged the valuable eighth URC spot with a commanding 26-5 win over Edinburgh, are now hunting down a win against another Scottish outfit in their bid to progress in Europe on Friday at 7.45pm at Scotstoun Stadium.
Their opponents, Glasgow, are understandable favourites – the BKT URC table-toppers with 65 points. Connacht, eighth with 54, have failed to win at the venue in their last 10 outings.
“It’s going to be tough,” says Lancaster, “but there’s definitely an inner confidence that’s been built by beating Ulster away, by beating Stormers away, by beating Edinburgh away. So it’s not a shot to nothing,” says Lancaster.
“We’ve a strong group. We’re fit, we’re in good shape, and you know, we go there with confidence,” he says. Having beaten Glasgow 15-10 in Dexcom earlier in the season, “playing confidence is high”.
Lancaster, who has been quietly building his squad this season with an emphasis on talented youth, is looking to spring a surprise.
Their win over Glasgow in Dexcom earlier in the season was a turning point in Connacht’s season, Lancaster says. But, he also recognises the Scottish outfit, coached by Franco Smith, is full of battle-hardened players that claimed the URC crown in 2023/24 by overcoming favourites Bulls in Loftus Versfeld.
At Dexcom, Connacht scored on the last play to take the spoils, and Lancaster knows “it’s going to be a real seasonal challenge”. But, he says, “ it’s one we’ve been building for, and to be honest, I think we’re ready for it now, for sure.”
Just to add to the occasion, Lancaster’s son Dan could be playing for Glasgow. The 25-year-old outhalf/centre joined the Scottish outfit last season and has made 21 appearances, but his father believes no matter who is named in the squad, “Glasgow have threats in all positions”.
Lancaster describes Scotstoun as a “funeral place” as evidenced by Connacht’s lack of success at the venue. Connacht have failed to win in Glasgow since 2010, and have won just twice in Scotland in some 19 attempts.
However, he is hoping to put the past to bed this weekend, and says Connacht “have nothing to lose,” with his squad boosted by recent momentum.
Missing are Denis Buckley, Temi Lasisi, Matthew Victory, Oisin Dowling, Oisin McCormack, Cathal Forde, Byron Ralston and Mack Hansen. However, Caolin Blade, Dylan Tierney-Martin and Finn Treacy have returned to full training following recent injuries, while Dave Heffernan (calf ), Darragh Murray (ribs ), Sean Jansen (knee ) and Harry West (hamstring ) will be further assessed, with a decision on their availability later in the week.
“We are in a good place. In some positions, some significant players have missed a hell of a lot of the season – Byron Ralston, who’s on the cusp of coming back now, while David Hawkshaw and Finn Treacy are back training again, so we’ve got lads coming back who missed a big chunk, but equally, you know, we have a core group of players who have been there in every game, like Cian Prendergast and Paul Boyle,” Lancaster explains.
Lancaster is preparing his players to face “a possession-based team”, which, he says, can open cracks in defensive systems, while their driving maul has delivered more tries than any other team.
“We need to defend well, there’s no doubt, but equally I do think our attack, even with limited opportunities against Edinburgh, was good enough to get four tries, so we’ve got that as well. Obviously one of the key differentials for Glasgow is their driving maul.”
However Lancaster is putting faith in his squad. “Everyone has a role to play,” he says.
Warriors, at home, will be favourites, but all Irish eyes will be urging Connacht to spring a surprise.
