Connacht's time for a kill

The biggest game in Connacht's history, again, and, pending the result at the Spotsground this afternoon, there might be more to come this season. Victory over Begles-Bordeaux, coupled with a Nice win over Northampton later this evening, would propel the cinderella province into the Conference quarter-finals. Ye Gods, a stirring prospect!

Begles though, are heavyweight opponents and as Warren Gatland says: "This is going to be our hardest game, as well as our most important."

The far heftier Begles pack like to rumble, either driving close in off the rucks or mauling, and as Gatland adds: "Defensively, they are very strong. They're very difficult to score against."

Proof of this lies in an unFrench try count of 4-4 over their four games. With Connacht themselves scoring seven and conceding eight, all the signs point to another tense, tight encounter similar to the tryless first one. However, as Gatland adds, you can never be sure in rugby and this second meeting could buck the trend. He does concede that Begles themselves also have a very real chance of qualifying.

Furthermore, Gatland concedes that Connacht "caught one or two teams on the hop and so the element of surprise has definitely been lost. Nice had clearly studied the tapes before last week and I'm sure Begles will have done the same."

It's a notion substantiated by the French camp prior to their departure for Shannon yesterday and a gentle work-out at the Sportsground last night. Their president, Michel Moga, admits: "Connacht surprised us in the first match and we were a little bit sleepy at the beginning."

The one outstanding characteristic of Connacht's eye-catching run in the Conference has been their organised and focussed defence, with not one man letting the side down. Almost certainly, they will have to withstand a concerted bout of pressure, or two, if they are to retain pole position in Pool D.

An improvement on last week's patchy and edgy win over Nice can be anticipated. "The guys have trained a lot better this week. I'm a little bit worried that guys don't go into their shells, that they don't doubt their own technique. Instead, I want them to relax a bit and not slow down moves."

Playing at pace is the key to Connacht's game, as Monsieur Moga repeatedly acknowledged, "Connacht play very fast." Gatland added: "We're not big enough physically to rumble. If we don't get numbers to rucks and recycle the ball quickly, then we just can't compete. But our fitness level has been excellent and that has helped get us through the season."

Another definite plus is Eric Elwood. No prolific points scoring match-winner has emerged from Begles' games yet, but Elwood (who is playing some of the best rugby of his life and will take a year's leave of absence from Irish Distillers to accept a £50,000 retainer from the IRFU) most certainly fits the bill.

Gatland is understandably concerned that, privately, his players might be harbouring the notion that they get a second chance next week at Northampton, but this undoubtedly constitutes their better chance.

This is a big game for Elwood, Conor McGuinness and Pat Duignan under the watchful eye of Brian Ashton, but it's an even bigger game for Connacht as a whole.

If they can stay with Begles early on, or even infuse the French with some travelling travail, then their fitness and the pace of their game may give Elwood and co sufficient opportunities to point them the way home.

Connacht: W Ruane; N Barry, P Duignan, M Murphy, N Carolan; E Elwood, C McGuinness; J Maher, B Mulcahy, M Finlay, M McConnell, G Heaslip (capt), J Charlie, B Gavin, S McEntee.

Begles: P Fauthoux; A Bouyssie, T Ossard, L Lafforgue, R McDonald; J Berthe, G Doyamboure; F Garcia, L Dehez, P Collazo, Y Lemeur, O Brouzet (capt), F N'tamack, C Mougeot, S Conchy.

Referee: H Lewis (Wales)

Formguide: Connacht - WLWW, Begles - WLLW.

Previous meetings: (97-98) - Begles 9 Connacht 15.

Leading points scorers: Connacht - Eric Elwood 62 pts. Begles - Vincent Etcheto 26 pts.

Leading try scorers: Connacht - Pat Duignan 2. Begles - Loubens, Dongieu, N'tamack, McDonald 1 each.