Challenge Cup Quarter-Final Preview: Sale Sharks v Connacht

Qualification for their first European Challenge Cup semi-final since 2010 is the prize on offer for Connacht when they travel to Sale Sharks for the second time this season. Captain for the night, hooker Tom McCartney becomes the province’s latest centurion.

EUROPEAN CHALLENGE CUP QUARTER-FINAL: Friday, March 29

SALE SHARKS (1st, Pool 3) v CONNACHT (2nd, Pool 3), AJ Bell Stadium, 7.45pm (live BT Sport 2/beIN Sports/Galway Bay FM/RTÉ 2fm/highlights Virgin Media One)

Team News: Bundee Aki is back in the Connacht team for their European Challenge Cup quarter-final clash with Sale Sharks at the AJ Bell Stadium tonight. This will be Aki’s first appearance for the province since the dramatic pool win away to Bordeaux-Bègles in January.

The selected Connacht side shows 13 personnel changes and two positional switches with Darragh Leader and Kyle Godwin the only players retained, albeit in different positions. Experienced hooker Tom McCartney will captain Andy Friend’s men on the occasion of his 100th Connacht appearance.

Leader switches to full-back to cover the absence of Tiernan O’Halloran, with Niyi Adeolokun coming in on the right wing to make his first start since suffering an arm injury against the Toyota Cheetahs in November. Cian Kelleher completes the back-three, Aki is joined by the versatile Kyle Godwin in midfield, and Ireland duo Jack Carty and Kieran Marmion fill the half-back berths.

It is all-change up front from last Friday’s 29-14 GUINNESS PRO14 win at home to Benetton Rugby, as McCartney leads a tight five which features props Peter McCabe and Dominic Robertson-McCoy and locks James Cannon and Gavin Thornbury, who continues his return from a shoulder injury.

James Connolly, who lined out for Connacht Eagles in the Cara Cup, and Eoghan Masterson get the nod at openside and blindside flanker respectively, with the 22-year-old Paul Boyle packing down at number 8 for his 11th start of the current campaign.

Meanwhile, Connacht’s 2016 PRO12 title-winning out-half AJ MacGinty will start against his former team when he returns for Sale Sharks’ European last-eight fixture. In an injury-disrupted season, he played in five of Sale’s first six games but his only other appearance was at Northampton Saints last month.

MacGinty’s inclusion at number 10 sees Sam James revert to his preferred position of outside centre, in place of injured former Wallaby James O’Connor. Prolific winger Chris Ashton, who scored a hat-trick of tries when Connacht visited Salford in October, also misses out as he continues his recovery from a calf injury.

SALE SHARKS: Luke James; Denny Solomona, Sam James, Rohan Janse van Rensburg, Byron McGuigan; AJ MacGinty, Faf de Klerk; Ross Harrison, Rob Webber, Joe Jones, Bryn Evans, James Phillips, Jono Ross (capt), Tom Curry, Josh Beaumont.

Replacements: Curtis Langdon, Tom Bristow, Alexandru Tarus, Josh Strauss, Ben Curry, Will Cliff, Cameron Redpath, Arron Reed.

CONNACHT: Darragh Leader; Niyi Adeolokun, Kyle Godwin, Bundee Aki, Cian Kelleher; Jack Carty, Kieran Marmion; Peter McCabe, Tom McCartney (capt), Dominic Robertson-McCoy, James Cannon, Gavin Thornbury, Eoghan Masterson, James Connolly, Paul Boyle.

Replacements: Dave Heffernan, Denis Buckley, Finlay Bealham, Joe Maksymiw, Robin Copeland, Caolin Blade, Tom Daly, Stephen Fitzgerald.

Referee: Mathieu Raynal (France)
Assistant Referees: Thomas Charabas, Laurent Cardona (both France)
Television Match Official: Eric Briquet-Campin (France)

Match Odds (Paddy Power): Sale Sharks to win: 1/3; Draw: 19/1; Connacht to win: 5/2

Pre-Match Quotes: Andy Friend (Connacht) – “We said at the start of the season that we wanted to be in the business end of both the Challenge Cup and the PRO14. We face a tough challenge away to Sale in the quarter-final on Friday night, but this is knockout rugby and we have picked a side to go and win the game.

“I’m happy with how the squad has been performing over the past few weeks. We are seeing strong competition for places. There is a real intensity to our training, and we are seeing that in our performances on the pitch. We have played Sale twice this season, with both teams winning a game apiece, so I expect Friday night to be another tight affair.”

Steve Diamond (Sale Sharks) – “Connacht are having a very good season and arrive at the AJ Bell Stadium on the back of a 29-14 win against Benetton last Friday, a result which kept them in third place in Conference A of the PRO14. Both our pool games were very competitive and we look forward to another entertaining encounter this Friday evening.”

Current Form – Sale Sharks – (Gallagher Premiership): Lost 51-23 v Harlequins (away), Won 21-15 v Worcester Warriors (home), Lost 35-18 v Exeter Chiefs (away), Lost 31-13 v Wasps (home), Lost 19-15 v Leicester Tigers (away), Won 20-7 v Newcastle Falcons (home); (European Challenge Cup): Won 41-24 v Perpignan (away), Won 34-13 v Connacht (home); (Premiership Rugby Cup): Lost 35-3 v Worcester Warriors (away), Drew 15-15 v Saracens (home), Won 18-16 v Leicester Tigers (away); (Gallagher Premiership): Lost 31-25 v Saracens (away), Won 18-13 v Northampton Saints (home), Drew 7-7 v Bath (away); (European Challenge Cup): Won 50-24 v Bordeaux-Bègles (away), Lost 17-14 v Bordeaux-Bègles (home); (Gallagher Premiership): Won 27-10 v Bristol Bears (home), Won 30-15 v Gloucester (away), Won 24-18 v Saracens (home); (European Challenge Cup): Lost 20-18 v Connacht (away), Won 39-10 v Perpignan (home); (Premiership Rugby Cup): Lost 28-12 v Newcastle Falcons (home); (Gallagher Premiership): Lost 67-17 v Northampton Saints (away), Won 24-18 v Wasps (away), Lost 20-14 v Exeter Chiefs (home), Won 32-5 v Leicester Tigers (home), Lost 22-17 v Newcastle Falcons (away)

Connacht – (GUINNESS PRO14): Lost 27-26 v Glasgow Warriors (home), Won 32-13 v Zebre (home), Lost 17-10 v Edinburgh (away), Won 33-20 v Scarlets (home), Lost 20-3 v Leinster (home), Won 22-15 v Ulster (away); (European Challenge Cup): Won 22-10 v Bordeaux-Bègles (home), Lost 34-13 v Sale Sharks (away); (GUINNESS PRO14): Lost 22-17 v Ospreys (away), Won 33-12 v Dragons (home), Won 31-14 v Isuzu Southern Kings (away), Won 21-17 v Toyota Cheetahs (away); (European Challenge Cup): Won 22-10 v Perpignan (home), Won 36-21 v Perpignan (away); (GUINNESS PRO14): Lost 33-29 v Leinster (away), Won 21-12 v Ulster (home), Lost 31-24 v Munster (home); (European Challenge Cup): Won 20-18 v Sale Sharks (home), Won 33-27 v Bordeaux-Bègles (away); (GUINNESS PRO14): Lost 8-7 v Cardiff Blues (away), Won 25-17 v Toyota Cheetahs, Lost 43-17 v Glasgow Warriors (away), Won 46-5 v Ospreys (home), Won 29-14 v Benetton Rugby

Top Scorers – 2018/19 European Challenge Cup: Sale Sharks – Points: Faf de Klerk 45; Tries: Chris Ashton 7; Connacht – Points: Jack Carty 27; Tries: Kyle Godwin 4

Previous European Meetings: 6

Saturday, January 12, 2019 – Pool 3 – Connacht 20 Sale Sharks 18, the Sportsground
Saturday, October 20, 2018 – Pool 3 – Sale Sharks 34 Connacht 13, AJ Bell Stadium
Sunday, April 24, 2005 – Semi-Final Second Leg – Sale Sharks 59 Connacht 9, Edgeley Park
Saturday, April 2, 2005 – Semi-Final First Leg – Connacht 18 Sale Sharks 25, the Sportsground
Saturday, November 3, 2001 – Pool 4 – Sale Sharks 44 Connacht 6, Heywood Road
Saturday, October 27, 2001 – Pool 4 – Connacht 30 Sale Sharks 33, the Sportsground

Match Facts –

– This will be the seventh meeting between Sale Sharks and Connacht, with the English Premiership club winning five of the previous six, although both sides won their home matches when they met in the pool stages this season

– Sale and Connacht met in the semi-finals of the 2004/05 Challenge Cup, with Sharks winning both legs before going on to defeat Pau in the final

– This is Connacht’s fourth Challenge Cup campaign in a row in which they have reached the knockout stages, but they have lost all of their most recent three quarter-finals

– Sale missed an average of just 15 tackles per game during the pool stages, fewer than any other team

– Sale conceded just 12 tries and no side conceded fewer

– Connacht’s James Connolly made more tackles (63) than any player who qualified for the knockout stages

– No one scored more tries than Chris Ashton (7) in the pool stages. He now has 53 career tries in Europe and is the only player with 50-plus tries in EPCR’s top two competitions

Challenge Cup Records:

Sale Sharks –
2017/18: Failed to qualify from Pool 2
2015/16: Reached the quarter-finals
2013/14: Reached the quarter-finals
2011/12: Failed to qualify from Pool 5
2010/11: Failed to qualify from Pool 2
2007/08: Reached the semi-finals
2004/05: Champions
2001/02: Champions
2000/01: Failed to qualify from Pool 4
1999/00: Failed to qualify from Pool 3
1997/98: Failed to qualify from Pool 2
1996/97: Failed to quality from Pool 1

Connacht –
2017/18: Reached the quarter-finals
2015/16: Reached the quarter-finals
2014/15: Reached the quarter-finals
2010/11: Failed to qualify from Pool 1
2009/10: Reached the semi-finals
2008/09: Reached the quarter-finals
2007/08: Failed to qualify from Pool 3
2006/07: Failed to qualify from Pool 4
2005/06: Reached the quarter-finals
2004/05: Reached the semi-finals
2003/04: Reached the semi-finals
2002/03: Reached the quarter-finals
2001/02: Failed to qualify from Pool 4
2000/01: Failed to qualify from Pool 2
1999/00: Failed to qualify from Pool 4
1998/99: Failed to qualify from Pool 1
1997/98: Failed to qualify from Pool 4
1996/97: Failed to qualify from Pool 3