Bradley Wants Connacht Players To Step Up

Connacht take on Bath in the Challenge Cup next Friday without three of their first choice players, but coach Michael Bradley is sure their replacements will take the opportunity to impress.

The westerners’ New Year’s Eve defeat by Munster hit them hard, not only in terms of Magners League points, but injuries too.

Centre/winger Keith Matthews is out of the rest of the season after sustaining a cruciate knee ligament injury, flanker John Muldoon cracked his cheekbone during the 14-8 loss and on-form lock David Gannon also damaged his ankle ligaments.

The 24-year-old Muldoon and Gannon (23) will miss both the Bath game and the following week’s trip to Harlequins. They are likely to rturn for the Magners League clash against the Ospreys at the Liberty Stadium on February 16.

Bradley admitted: “Injuries are part and parcel of rugby and it is just a matter of dealing with them. They are three key players and they will bounce back.

“An opportunity has now arisen for others to stake their claim and I am sure they will over the coming weeks.”

Connacht have only pride to play for in Europe now after defeat away to Montpellier last month spelt the end of their bid to qualify for the Challenge Cup quarter-finals for the fifth successive year.

Despite no longer being in contention, Bradley wants his players to give their all against Bath and Harlequins over the next two weekends and gain revenge for the tight defeats they suffered against the two English clubs in October.

“These two games are important to us. We have come out the wrong side of several tight results this season and we need to get back to a winning habit.

“The top spot in the pool is a battle between Bath and Harlequins and that means they will be going with full throttle against us,” he told Media West. “They are both quality sides but we should have beaten them both. It was a bad blow getting caught at the death both times.

“In many ways we could be top of the pool but we aren’t and what we must now do is make these matches count for something.

“We might not be going to the quarter-finals this season but it would compensate to get a couple of performances and results from these games. After all, Bath were in the Heineken Cup semi-finals last year and are former winners of the competition, while Harlequins have twice won the Challenge Cup.”