the problem is when it comes to the semi-finals at the end of the season we'll end up coming up against better teams that want to win the challenge cup and usually we are struggling with injuries and tired players. pro12 and a top 6 has to be our priority

I said in the summer : To qualify we have 3 teams
IMO

Which I amend in 1 pro 12 team, 1 Challenge Cup team and backups

1st XV

1) Buck
2) McCartney
3) AhYou
4) Roux
5) Muldowney
6) Heenan
7) Fox
8 ) Masterson
9) Marmion
10) Carty
11) Healy
12) Aki
13) Henshaw
14) Poolman
15) Leader

2nd XV

1) Loughney
2) JHW/Heff
3) White
4) Marshall
5) Dillane/Browne
6) Muldoon
7) McKeon
8 ) Naoupu
9) Cooney
10) Ronaldson
11) O'Leary
12) McSharry
13) Parata/Pewhairangi
14) Carr/Finn
15) TOH

Backups

1) Bealham
2) Delahunt/Dineen
3) JP Conney
4) SOB
5) Romaine
6) McVeigh
7) Moloney
8 ) J Connolly
9) Blade/Porter
10) C McKeon
11) Niyi
12) Robb
13) Brennan
14) Gaffney
15) Layden

They appeared to go all out to win both last year (sending what was then regarded as a second team to a very disinterested Bayonne six days before a big interpro notwithstanding).

If they have any luck with injuries (touch wood, etc.) the squad is considerably deeper this year. That team that went to Bayonne wouldn't look all that shabby not even 12 months later:

CONNACHT: Darragh Leader, Niyi Adeolokun, Conor Finn, Craig Ronaldson, Fionn Carr, Miah Nikora (captain), Caolin Blade
Ronan Loughney, Dave Heffernan, Finlay Bealham, Michael Swift, Aly Muldowney, James Connolly, Willie Faloon, Danny Qualter

REPLACEMENTS: Shane Delahunt , Denis Buckley, Saba Meunargia , George Naoupu, Eoin McKeon , Kieran Marmion, Dave McSharry, Matt Healy.

Pat said a few weeks ago that they were going to target both competitions from the start and I see no reason not to take him at his word, particularly with Connacht being top seed.

In the 120+ years that Connacht teams have played rugby we've won absolutely nothing. Nada. That's why I always chuckle when the yearly "should we throw the Amlin Cup to improve our chance of finishing 6th in the Pro12?" question comes up.
We should always go flat out to win the Amlin.

clanman wrote: we've these batch of 7 games in the pro12 a gap then there are 2 difficult pro12 games before the christmas period, I think we should wait until mid-december and make a choice then between pro12 and challenge cup

Clanman
By mid Dec we will have played 3 of our Challenge Cup games.
Do you not think it would be a bit late decided to focus on the competition when we will already be half way through the pool stage.??

we've these batch of 7 games in the pro12 a gap then there are 2 difficult pro12 games before the christmas period, I think we should wait until mid-december and make a choice then between pro12 and challenge cup

I'd have to agree with connachta, it may prove that the Challenge Cup may actually be a more realistic qualification option but still we have 5 more league games to go before that competition starts 4 of which are winnable home games. There is no point worrying particularly much about what other teams do at this stage of the year. We have to set our own points target for each section of the season to reach somewhere in or around 58-60 at the end of the season. If we meet our targets as we go along we'll be in the hunt.

I'd be hopeful we could secure a home quarter final while still keeping our Top 6 hopes alive. Brive have made the fairly standard win at home lose away start of a French side but you'd expect their primary concern will be relegation matters again. Newcastle had the safety of knowing they had London Welsh in the Premiership last season but Worcester are likely to make it a bit more worrying for them this season plus with the condensed Premiership fixtures they are likely to be stretched.

Typed a reply last night that got lost due to session time out

My feeling at the end of the game was relief because we redeemed ourselves a little in the second half, but I also felt hard done by, because in my view the stronger team lost. The "spirit of the game" decision was probably correct, but then where do you draw the line? I mean Cooney didn't mean to fall on his arse and hand them 7 points, but nobody was talking about the spirit of the game then. Also, while I think the ref balanced things out in the second half, his interpretation of the scrum in the first half seemed poor to me.

Anyway, what's done is done. 6 points represents a decent start, but Scarlets and Edinburgh are already flying high so we need to make hay between now and Christmas.

Apart from the technical point of not going 5m it should have been awarded for gross stupidity imo. Connacht were also unlucky not to have a try in the opposite corner soon after iirc.

Strange how neither team did very well playing with the wind.

Thought it was a fair enough call. There may have been an intention to throw the ball to the full back but not IMO as a line out , had it gone 5m as Phatguerilla said it might have been a different kettle of fish.

Always a good idea to know the laws as there will always be opportunities to use them to your advantage.

World rugby have a laws app which I will have open for every game from now on! According to the laws the ball must travel 5m before touching the ground or a player so I don't have a problem with the non try as it was a bad lineout. But if the quick throw in fails it should be a lineout or scrum for the opposing team. I don't think we got that and I believe it is because the ref deemed the try against the spirit of the game,rather than just applying the laws.

In your own opinion shelflife was it a "correct call"

I've seen replays of the non try the winger looks like he gets caught in two minds so throws a bad pass. He even realised himself what he had done. And chases after it. IMO Danie is only doing what any winger should be doing chasing up a kick to stop a quick throw or intercept a pass. Which he did.

And would the fact it didn't go 5 be an issue in the laws of the game

Basically it's to cover areas where a strict application of the law would be very unfair on a team. Last night blue 14 never intended that to be a quick throw in , that was obvious, in the same way if a player throws the ball to the hooker for a line out , that's not a QTI either.

In the same way if a player lightly taps another on the face in a jovial manner , technically that's a strike to the head and is a red card.

Covers situations where a ref is in a bad position and clearly stops a tackle been made, there's nothing in law to support a scrum been awarded but everyone would accept that it would be a fair result.

Another is where at a pen the kicker "solos" the ball while pondering what to do, again he technically has taken the pen , but the reality is he hasn't .

Btw never ever rely on commentators for law advice, 95% haven't a scooby about the laws, they really should be made study them before they are allowed on TV .

green13 wrote: Can someone give some background on the 'in the spirit of the game' quote that's been mentioned a few times on other forums and social media? I didn't see or hear most of the match, just the last ten minutes on TG4.

The tmo and ref agreed that they didn't think they should reward poolmans try from the non lineout as it would be contrary to the spirit of the game. The beeb commentators made the more reasonable argument that the ball didn't travel 5m which I could accept. Can't imagine we will see too many rwc matches involving 'spirit of the game' decisions.

Can someone give some background on the 'in the spirit of the game' quote that's been mentioned a few times on other forums and social media? I didn't see or hear most of the match, just the last ten minutes on TG4.

Well that was some night! A mad game of rugby. Showed great determination to get back into the game but we left ourselves with far too much to do! It's hard to judge a ref live at a match but apart from a few decisions and a scrum penalty or 2 he was OK. They weren't the winning or loosing of the match but they kept Glasgow momentum up. Which led to the first try.

I don't think the ball went 5 for Danies try but the against the spirit was a weird reason not to give the try. It was intelligent from Danie to see it.

I have to say a huge thank you to the Glasgow supporters group. We were really well looked after and everyone was really friendly. I'm looking forward to seeing you on the return trip.