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Connacht Rugby
Full name	Irish Rugby Football Union Connacht Branch
Founded	1885
Location	Galway, Republic of Ireland
Ground	Galway Sportsgrounds
Capacity	7,000
Coach	Michael Bradley
Captain	Andrew Farley
League	Celtic League
2005-06	11th
Home colours		Away colours

The Irish Rugby Football Union Connacht Branch (whose professional team is run by Connacht Rugby) is one of four branches of the IRFU, and is responsible for rugby union in the Irish province of Connacht. The branch is also responsible for the Connacht team, which plays in national and international competitions. The team plays its home games at the Galway Sportsgrounds, which can hold 5,000 spectators. (Expandable to 7,000 for important games)

Connacht has a much smaller base of rugby union players to choose from than the other three provinces due in part to its small population and the relative popularity of Gaelic Athletic Association sports such as hurling and Gaelic football. Connacht has only 7% of the total number of Irish rugby union players currently, however rugby union in Connacht has expanded and in recent years, with a growing number of players involved and an increasing number of schools now playing the game. Through the work of the Connacht Branch and the support of the IRFU the province over the last five years has had the largest growth in underage and schools participation in Ireland. Today it rivals soccer as the province's third most popular support. Galwegians RFC and Buccaneers RFC are two Connacht based teams playing in the top division of the Irish league (The AIL, the All Ireland League), with Galway Corinthians RFC and Connemara RFC playing in the third division.

With a smaller playing population than the other provinces, a larger proportion of its players are recruited from within the rest of Ireland usually as promising former Under-21 or Youth Internationals. In recent years however a growing number of young Connacht born players are progressing from the provinces under-age rugby sides via development contracts into the Senior Squad. However funding inequalities from the IRFU compared to that of the other three Irish provinces means that Connacht players who develop are often prone to being recruited by the other Provinces and Clubs outside Ireland.

The Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) has designated Connacht as a development team, which means that it receives half the budget of the other Irish Provincial teams. In recent years it has been discussed in the media whether they should be closed down as a means of cost saving by the IRFU, as has happened to the Scottish super district Caledonia and the Welsh region Celtic Warriors. Despite the threat of closure, and the lack of equality of funding the province has equitted itself well in all competition and has excelled in the European Challenge Cup in which it has reached two semi-finals and a quarter-final in the last three seasons.

Contents 1 History 2 Provincial honours 3 Famous Players 4 Schools Competitions 5 See also 6 External links

The Connacht Branch of the IRFU was founded in 1885 and is currently made up of 19 clubs. Connacht was the first ever Irish provincial team to win in France and England in 1997. Connacht were quarterfinalists in the European Challenge Cup in 1997/98. In 2001/02 Connacht made it to the semifinals of the Celtic League, but only reached the quarters in 2002/2003.

The 2003/04 season was the most successful in the province's history. Their efforts in the Parker Pen Challenge Cup took them to within touching distance of the final. Only a try from Harlequins' Will Greenwood 12 minutes from time in the second leg of the semi-final denied them of a place in the final. Harlequins went on to win the Final at Reading's Madejski Stadium. They also got to the semi final of the Celtic Cup. The 2004/05 season saw Connacht continue their form in the European Challenge cup, reaching the semi-finals where they were knocked out again over two legs by the eventual winners, Sale Sharks.

Until the 2005-06 season, the IRFU automatically entered Connacht in the European Challenge Cup each year rather than the Heineken Cup, regardless of its result in the Celtic League. Starting with the 2004-05 season, the IRFU agreed to use the Celtic League table as its sole criterion for determining which Irish teams would enter the next season's Heineken Cup. In that season, Connacht finished last among the competition's four Irish sides, which placed them in the 2005-06 European Challenge Cup.

• Irish inter-provincial championship

Connacht have won the Inter-provincial Championship twice.

• Ray McLoughlin
• Ciarain Fitzgerald
• Eric Elwood
• Noel Mannion
• Gavin Duffy

• Connacht Schools Senior Cup
• Connacht Schools Junior Cup

• Celtic League
• Heineken Cup
• European Rugby Shield

• Official Site
• Unoffical Supporters Site

v • d • e Rugby union in Ireland
Federation:	Irish Rugby Football Union
National team:	Irish national team • Ireland Sevens • British and Irish Lions
International Competitions:	Rugby World Cup • Six Nations Championship • Heineken Cup • European Challenge Cup • European Shield • Celtic League • Rugby World Cup Sevens • IRB Sevens World Series
Celtic League Teams:	Connacht • Leinster • Munster • Ulster
Domestic Competitions:	AIB League
AIB League Division one teams:	Ballymena • Belfast Harlequins • Blackrock College • UL Bohemian RFC • Buccaneers • Clontarf • Cork Con • Dolphin • Dungannon • Galwegians • Garryowen • Lansdowne • Shannon • St. Mary's • Terenure College • UCD