Connacht Team Talk Thread VI - Some like it TOH

Tommybojangles

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121645315#Comment_121645315

Hope you put your money where your mouth was here 😆 11/1!

realhorrorshow

Damn, Lyon getting our hopes up. 12 to the good at half time.

ElisaAtWar

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121645527#Comment_121645527

Lyon are not crap

SqueakyKneecap

Lyon should be home and hosed already too which is crazy. Sarries just haven't got going at all. The Georgian winger, the fullback, the 4 and Godwin all really impressive so far.

ElisaAtWar

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121645525#Comment_121645525

this is a darn good game with ramifications

eagle eye

Oh wow, Farrell charged down twice and Lyon get seven back almost immediately.

Was sure when Saracens scored that our hopes had died.

SqueakyKneecap

One more try for Sarries regardless of the result and it's curtains for the Champions Cup

realhorrorshow

Feels like that's that. Can't see Lyon preventing Saracens from scoring another try.

eagle eye

Hard to believe that the MoM is already decided. If Saracens win it's Itoje, if Lyon hang on it's Niniaahvili.

Zeugnis

I am confused by the desire to qualify for the next round of the Champions' cup which would result in a pasting.

SqueakyKneecap

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121645700#Comment_121645700

We've an awful away record in the Challenge too and could easily lose to any team with home advantage left in the Challenge. Be far more demoralising losing to the likes of Ospreys away than the likes of Toulouse. You want to test yourself against the very best if you're a professional.

Jump_In_Jack

That’s that, 4 th try

Tommybojangles

Pretty relieved tbh. I've seen us take enough smashings the last few years. If we had any shot at giving Toulose or whoever a game I'd be desperate for it but in reality it would be 40 or 50 more than likely. We now have 2 very realistic goals imo of getting top 8 and a Challenge Cup Semi to work towards

SqueakyKneecap

It seems complex enough yet but if Bayonne and Sale both lose tomorrow I think it ends up being either Dragons/Pau or Lions/Ospreys away in the last 16.

FACECUTTR

LAR 10 Sale 0 nearly half time.

Borders no.2

Ospreys away it looks like unless Bayonne beat Exeter it looks like.

If win that looks like a home qf

Former Coach

Bayonne 26-7 ahead at half time....

40-17 Bayonne. Almost over....

Tommybojangles

Anyone have the research done on where a Bayonne win leaves us? 😆

Borders no.2

Pau away possibly. Our side of the draw looks a bit more favourable either way.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2023%E2%80%9324_EPCR_Challenge_Cup is a good reference for the seedings

Former Coach

It's Pau away I think!

Zeugnis

Section Paloise are having a good season, beat Lyon soundly and took Bordeaux's scalp early in the campaign, so that'll be a tough brief. On the positive side, Ryanair fly Dublin to Biarritz, which is just over an hour from Pau :)

StevenToast

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121651336#Comment_121651336

There is nothing positive about flying Ryanair..

Rigor Mortis

If you’re old enough to remember when Aer Left nous had a monopoly on pricing you wouldn’t say that.

Zeugnis

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121651355#Comment_121651355

Well you could fly with Aer Lingus to Bordeaux, which isn't that much further away, but it'll cost ya!

kita99

I love Aer Lingus. I want that it directly fry to the country where I am living someday (with some coooperation). I know our needs for it is larger than many Irish peple is thinking.

In Paw, Sam Whitrock ((AB) came in last year. (He is 35 now).who has some worth challenging even now.

cson

That's a great away trip, cracking part of the world.

I'd be all over that if I was living back in Ireland.

CuriousCucumber

Yeah, looks like Pau, is a No for me.

Looking into the trip, and its a lot of effort.

Best I could see, was assuming the match was on the Saturday, fly with Aer Lingus to Bordeaux from Dublin on the Friday, and return on the Sunday.

Flights are costing approx €280, plus another €70 for train tickets from Bordeaux to Pau.

It would mean leaving Galway at around 7:30am on the Friday, and arriving in Pau at 18:30 (local time), so that's 12hours of travelling before reaching Pau

It's a pity, as it looks like a nice town, and not somewhere I'd have reason to travel to very often

If I had more free time, I'd probably do it

Strand1970

Heard of a few people picking a T14 game well in advance and getting cheap flights as not much demand. They reckon good rugby, food and not mad expensive.

Zeugnis

In their pool games Pau struggled to tight victories against Zebre (28-27) and Dragons (24-21) which suggests to me that they're not that interested in the Challenge Cup. They play Toulouse away the week before in the T14.

testtech05

Have to say I'm a bit shocked this was overturned. Don't think it was intentional but still so dangerous thought it was a red.

https://the42.ie/6279139