THE REVAMPED CHALLENGE Cup didn’t really grab the attention this year but next season’s tournament will have a bit more of a novelty factor if nothing else. Russian side Enisei-STM beat Romanian outfit Baia Mare in a playoff to book their place in the second-tier tournament next season.
No Russian team has previously competed in either European competition so it will be interesting to see how much rugby in the country benefits from the exposure. The team is based in Krasnoyarsk, which is the third largest city in Siberia.
Winter’s there can be as cold as -21 degrees so teams will dread the possibility of drawing them for the December back-to-backs.
Avoiding that icy clash should be incentive enough for Connacht to win their final two league encounters and push for Champions Cup qualification.
