Playing an expansive game has gotten us to where we are, unfortunately we lack a cuteness at times, our inability to vary our game cost us tonight with a stubborn reluctance to clear our lines and kick for territory. Hopefully we have enough in the tank to beat a resurgent Munster next week!

We should never have leaked those 2 big leads. Hopefully the lads can bounce back and not mess up the last 3 games.

It's a real tragedy to have lost that game.

We mix the sublime with the completely stupid and headless all too well.

SOL had a very poor game overall. Struggled with the pressure.

There is a lot to fix.

Absolutely distraught after that. We have again played some excellent rugby tonight but we have completely self-destructed twice from a commanding position in this game. Thought we should have got a penalty at the end for off-feet but ref was never going to give us that. We have to take this defeat on the chin, learn from it and bounce back.

Healy and Niyi are causing havoc down the left, they have left defenders on their arses so many times. I fancy us to score another try or two. We are coping fairly well with their bigger pack, my main fear is we get a yellow and they make hay.

Fantastic tries linked with self-destruction on kick offs. 19-16 is a huge disappointment with the rugby we had played and the lead we had at 30 minutes.

salmson wrote: Grenoble XV looks pretty much like their best available:

15. Gio Aplon; 14. Tino Nemani, 13. Chris Farrell, 12. Nigel Hunt, 11. Lucas Dupont; 10. Jonathan Wisniewski, 9. Charl McLeod; 1. Sona Taumalolo, 2. Loick Jammes, 3. Dayna Edwards, 4. Ben Hand, 5. Peter Kimlin, 6. Steven Setephano, 7. Mahamadou Diaby, 8. Rory Grice
16. Paulin Mas, 17. Fabien Barcella, 18. Rossouw de Klerk, 19. Mathias Marie, 20. Fabien Alexandre, 21. Lilian Saseras, 22. Fabrice Estebanez, 23. Fabien Gengenbacher

Jammes is good but is still a 21yr with very little experience at this level & his understudy, young Paulin Mas, is on his FIRST senior teamsheet. Not by any means saying they are just making up the numbers! they're good lads & they are surrounded by a solid pack but imho their lack of experience means adv Connacht up front

Decent team. Robbie didn't work out at full back last week. It's a risky call to line out as we are but if that backline clicks it can do huge damage. Hopefully Shane O'Leary goes well tomorrow but it's a big move to go there with no backup 10. Big pressure on Marmion to try and take the pressure off at 9. He stood up the day of the Leinster game and he'll need to do it tomorrow again if we're to get a result. I read an article by Ronan O'Gara and I think he has called it right regarding how we need to play this one to be fair. The team isn't exactly lined up in that manner though.

Craggy Island crew preview on Galway Bay last night:

galwaybayfm.ie/line-grenoble-v-connacht-preview/

Evil_g, was thinking along the same lines. Just when you think we are getting players back from injury, you look up the list has the makings of a very decent side on it's own. Jaysus, isn't Heenan bit by the injury bug?

Healy, Poolman & Niyi all on the field at once?! Should be some very exciting rugby on display. Don't know the forecast, but this will not be a 6-3 game.

Our injury list is starting to look like it would make a good starting 15 again.

Healy at full back is interesting. By the sounds of it Grenoble aren't a kicking team.

Grenoble XV looks pretty much like their best available:

15. Gio Aplon; 14. Tino Nemani, 13. Chris Farrell, 12. Nigel Hunt, 11. Lucas Dupont; 10. Jonathan Wisniewski, 9. Charl McLeod; 1. Sona Taumalolo, 2. Loick Jammes, 3. Dayna Edwards, 4. Ben Hand, 5. Peter Kimlin, 6. Steven Setephano, 7. Mahamadou Diaby, 8. Rory Grice
16. Paulin Mas, 17. Fabien Barcella, 18. Rossouw de Klerk, 19. Mathias Marie, 20. Fabien Alexandre, 21. Lilian Saseras, 22. Fabrice Estebanez, 23. Fabien Gengenbacher

Seems a relatively strong team. Delighted not to see RAU involved.

5 Irish internationals in the starting team.
All Galway bred back-row.
By my count we may be missing up to 6 of what would be our potentially strongest team from a fully fit squad.
- Muldowney, Heenan, Masterson, Fox-M, Ronaldson, TOH

Such an exciting time to be a Connacht fan.

Will be an exciting game!

Not surprised Aly was omitted - he's looked knackered lately - and Healy to fullback was flagged by Linley Mackenzie, but there are a couple of headscratchers.

I'd expected Roux to start after being rested with Browne on the bench, mainly because Roux doesn't strike me as a bench player, but the real bolter is Cooney to the bench.

Wonder who's covering tighthead, him or Loughs? Cooney's not long back from injury but I'm fairly sure his recent run-outs in the AIL were at loosehead. Either way, looks like Rodney's played his last game for Connacht, an outbreak of the Black Death asides.

Pat Lam has named his Connacht side to face Grenoble in the quarter final of the Challenge Cup at Stade des Alpes on Saturday (21:05 local time). The head coach has made five personnel as well as seven positional changes from the side that lined out against Ulster in the PRO12 seven days ago.

Kieran Marmion and Danie Poolman are drafted into the back line with Matt Healy named to start at fullback for the second time this season. The former Ireland under-20’s scrum half, now wing, wore the number 15 shirt against Newcastle Falcons at the Sportsground back in December.

Healy’s move to fullback also allows Ireland international Robbie Henshaw rekindle his centre partnership with February’s Player of the Month Bundee Aki.

Shane O’Leary, who spent the 2013/14 season playing with Saturday’s French opponents, will make his third start for Connacht at outhalf, having lined out against Ulster last week and in December’s pool game away to Newcastle.

Up front, recent Ireland international debutants Finlay Bealham and Ultan Dillane start for the first time since their 6 Nations involvement.

The back row is reshuffled and features three Galway-born players with Sean O’Brien from the Academy coming in to start at blindside flanker. Eoin McKeon once again moves to openside while John Muldoon captains the side wearing the Number 8 shirt.

From the bench, prop JP Cooney could make his first European appearance of the current campaign, having recovered from the shoulder injury that has kept him sidelined for most of the season. Quinn Roux and Fionn Carr are also added to this week’s match day squad.

Commenting on the team selection and the upcoming game, head coach Pat Lam said:

“We have a few changes to the squad from last week but we are confident that we have a strong team to go over and execute our game plan against Grenoble. While it was great to welcome Kieran (Marmion) back from injury this week, it was frustrating to lose Jake (Heenan) who we had initially named to start. He was really unlucky to roll his other ankle in training which has ruled him out again.

“But we have a lot of confidence in the ability of Academy players Sean O’Brien and James Connolly who have the experience of performing in the jersey already this season. Playing in these big-stage games is fantastic for the continued development of all our players going forward.

“We understand the challenge we face traveling to play a confident Grenoble side in their home ground. But this is knock-out rugby and we are determined to bring a semi-final home to the Sportsground for our supporters.

“With two teams looking to play an attacking style of rugby, it will come down to the small margins in defence and who can take their opportunities. It’s set up to be a really entertaining game and we’re really looking forward to it.”

Connacht team to face Grenoble, Saturday April9th, Stade des Alpes, 9:05pm

15 Matt Healy
14 Niyi Adeolokun
13 Robbie Henshaw
12 Bundee Aki
11 Danie Poolman
10 Shane O’Leary
9 Kieran Marmion

1 Denis Buckley
2 Tom McCartney
3 Finlay Bealham
4 Ultan Dillane
5 Andrew Browne
6 Sean O’Brien
7 Eoin McKeon
8 John Muldoon (captain)

Replacements:

16 Dave Heffernan
17 Ronan Loughney
18 JP Cooney
19 Quinn Roux
20 James Connolly
21 John Cooney
22 Peter Robb
23 Fionn Carr

Injured/Unavailable: Nathan White, Ben Marshall, Jake Heenan*, Nepia Fox-Matamua, Eoghan Masterson, Ian Porter, Caolin Blade, Jack Carty, Craig Ronaldson, AJ MacGinty, Dave McSharry, Rory Parata, Api Pewhairangi, Darragh Leader, Ciaran Gaffney, Tiernan O’Halloran

*Jake Heenan rolled his (other) ankle in Tuesday afternoon’s pitch session which ruled him out of traveling to France this weekend. An update will be provided on his expected return to play date next week.

Grenoble v Connacht
Saturday April 9th
Stade des Alpes
Kick off 9:05pm

Live on FR4 / BT Sport / beIN Sports

Referee Matthew Carley (England)
Touch Judge 1 Greg Garner (England)
Touch Judge 2 Craig Maxwell-Keys (England)
TMO Rowan Kitt (England)
Citing Commissioner Dave Guyan (England)

it-isnt-easy-being-green wrote: I'm going to watch it in the Woolshed on Parnell St if anyone is around. They are going to be showing it at 8.
I'll be the woman in a Connacht jersey nervously biting her nails.....

And I'll be the other one!