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Connacht Rugby captain Jarrad Butler at the Heineken Champions Cup and Challenge Cup launch in Dublin.
Connacht Rugby are the competition’s most experienced side with 121 games played across 18 seasons but have yet to reach a final. The Irish province welcome Bordeaux-Bègles to The Sportsground in Galway on Saturday afternoon (15:00 BST) in their Pool 3 encounter.
- Connacht and Bordeaux-Bègles have met twice before with the Irish side picking up wins in both games in pool stage of the 1997/98 Challenge Cup.
- Connacht have won 15 of their last 17 homes games in the pool stage of the Challenge Cup; Harlequins and Exeter Chiefs are the only side to come away with wins in that time.
- Bordeaux won on their last European trip to Ireland, a 26-22 victory over Ulster in the 2016/17 Champions Cup.
- Bordeaux averaged the most metres gained per game of any side in the Challenge Cup last season (552), while no side averaged more breaks than Connacht (13.1, level with Edinburgh).
- Connacht’s Matt Healy scored nine tries in just six games in last season’s Challenge Cup, only Newcastle’s Adam Radwan scored more (10 tries in 8 appearances).
Entraînement à Moga pour préparer le début du #challengecup2018. Samedi, l’@UBBrugby défie le @connachtrugby à Galway 🇮🇪 ! #iloveubb #bordeaux #ireland pic.twitter.com/q4fMRxGz2i
— UBB Rugby (@UBBrugby) October 10, 2018
Kyle Godwin has joined EPCR Challenge Cup holders Lyon ahead of the new TOP 14 season
Kyle Godwin scored two tries – one in each half – to lead Connacht Rugby to their third European Rugby Challenge Cup win in a row over Bordeaux-Begles on Saturday.
The left wing struck in the 13th and 45th minutes at The Sportsground to give the Irish province a great start to their Pool 3 campaign.
With fly-half Jack Carty converting the first and adding a penalty, Connacht moved into a 10-3 interval lead, the French side’s solitary reply being a 40th-minute penalty from Lucas Meret.
Carty also improved Godwin’s second try and although Bordeaux-Begles replied with a score from Afa Amosa in the 52nd minute that was converted by Meret, Finlay Bealham sealed the 22-10 victory with a 66th minute try from a rolling maul.
📸 | @colbyfaingaa in the thick of it in his first @ERChallengeCup start 💪 pic.twitter.com/iuxsSVoyIT
— Connacht Rugby (@connachtrugby) October 13, 2018
Connacht’s next game is at Sale Sharks next Saturday, when Bordeaux-Begles have a home game with Perpignan.
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