Well thats a great blast from the past .

Played a wee bit with Robbie Lee.Cracking player .Think he mostly played wing .

Joe McVeigh .Think he was from the North .He played a good few years with Buccs incl there rise from Div 4 to 1 in 4 years.

Jimmy Screene -tackled him once playing U-16 or something.I'm still sore.Brilliant Prop and very handy with ball in Hand.

Ian Dillon - what a legend! Where is he now I wonder?
I remember him at a Leinster/Connacht game at Donnybrook unsettling Eric Miller so much that recent Lion Miller had to resort to throwing punches at Dillon to subdue him!

ummm, wrote: Actually they didn't even get out of the group! Came second to Beziers.

Must have got my years mixed up :oops:

Beziers was two tight games as well. I definitely remember the first game in the group being on the same day as the 2000 All-Ireland football replay. Connacht missed a late penalty to win having been ahead for most of the game.

Actually they didn't even get out of the group! Came second to Beziers.

This was definitely played in Athlone in monsoon like conditions. I remember reading the paper on that match and it saying something like that if Montferrand went on to win the Shield (whatever it was at the time) that they'd look back on their win in Athlone as one of the days they dogged it out. I think Montferrand maybe lost the final that year.

Thanks ummm for your quick reply. Check the following link, it states that macth was in Sports Ground but poster said Ericson Park in Athlone !!!
www.enotes.com/topic/2000–01_European_Challenge_Cup_pool_stage

I didn't forget them, and I was wondering about highlighting Merceron as well, but he and the others weren't up there with the others IMO.

Still a bloody good collection, though. We did well to only lose by 9!

ummm, wrote: Amlin 2000/2001 pool 2

Pretty good AS team too. It finished Connacht 3 - 12 Montferrand, which was a hell of a lot better than the corresponding away fixture just the week before, which we lost 58 - 21.

Connacht:
Robert Lee; Pat Duignan, Shane Stephens, Tim Allnutt, Darren Yapp; Eric Elwood, James Ferris;
Jimmy Screene, Joe McVeigh, Martin Cahill; Rowan Frost, Mark McConnell (capt); Ian Dillon, Jonny O'Connor, Junior Charlie

Montferrand:
Nicolas Nadau; Aurélien Rougerie Johnny Ngauamo, Tony Marsh, David Bory; Gérald Merceron, Alessandro Troncon(capt);
Abraham Tolofua, Marco Caputo, Alessio Galasso; Eric Lecomte, Jérôme Thion; Alexandre Audebert, Olivier Magne, Jan Machacek

Don't forget these three either, all decent Internationals....

Merceron = 32 French Caps
Marsh = 21 French Caps
Bory = 18 French Caps

Amlin 2000/2001 pool 2

Pretty good AS team too. It finished Connacht 3 - 12 Montferrand, which was a hell of a lot better than the corresponding away fixture just the week before, which we lost 58 - 21.

Connacht:
Robert Lee; Pat Duignan, Shane Stephens, Tim Allnutt, Darren Yapp; Eric Elwood, James Ferris;
Jimmy Screene, Joe McVeigh, Martin Cahill; Rowan Frost, Mark McConnell (capt); Ian Dillon, Jonny O'Connor, Junior Charlie

Montferrand:
Nicolas Nadau; Aurélien Rougerie, Johnny Ngauamo, Tony Marsh, David Bory; Gérald Merceron, Alessandro Troncon (capt);
Abraham Tolofua, Marco Caputo, Alessio Galasso; Eric Lecomte, Jérôme Thion; Alexandre Audebert, Olivier Magne, Jan Machacek

Was in a doctors surgery today in Athlone today (dont worry i'am fine) and spotted a very interesting poster. It was Connacht versus Monferrand in Athlone but it had no year. Have searched now for a while but cant seem to find the fixture - anybody any idea when it was !!!