Dragons 19
Edinburgh 5
CONNACHT’S HOPES OF qualifying for the Champions Cup were given a boost by Edinburgh’s defeat to the Dragons in the Guinness Pro12 last night.
With the Scottish outfit one place and four points ahead of Connacht in the league table coming into the weekend, Edinburgh’s defeat and failure to pick up even a losing bonus point was the best possible outcome for the Irish province.
Connacht are eighth in the Pro12 ahead of their meeting with Zebre this evening [KO 17.30 Irish time, TG4], but still have ambitions of securing the top six finish that would gain them automatic qualification into next season’s Champions Cup.
The sixth-placed Scarlets host Cardiff tomorrow [KO 16.00, S4C] and Pat Lam’s men will be hoping the visitors can do them a massive favour in that game.
In regards to matters in their own hands, a bonus-point win over bottom-of-the-table Zebre this evening looks vital. Were Connacht to achieve that and the Scarlets do lose to Cardiff without a bonus point, Lam’s side would sit inside the top six with one game remaining.
A final day meeting with the Ospreys on 16 May will be extremely demanding for Connacht of course, with Edinburgh hosting Leinster and the Scarlets away to Treviso on the same day.
Nothing is decided yet, and if Connacht are to miss out on the top six they will hope instead for the seventh-place finish that would send them into the Champions Cup qualification play-offs, away to Challenge Cup winners Gloucester at first, with the winner of that tie moving on to play the seventh-place Top 14 finisher.
More immediately, a Connacht bonus-point win against Zebre today is the focus.
- Originally published 23.45 on Friday, updated 7.38 today.
