The 2017–18 season was Irish provincial rugby union side Connacht Rugby's seventeenth season competing in the Pro14, and the team's twenty-second season as a professional side. It was Kieran Keane's first and only season in charge of the side.
Connacht finished sixth in their seven-team Pro14 conference. As well as playing in the Pro14, the team competed in the Challenge Cup in Europe. They finished first in their pool and advanced to the knockout stage as third seed overall, but were defeated at home by Gloucester in the quarter-finals. The second tier side the Connacht Eagles competed in the 2017–18 British and Irish Cup, finishing third in their pool.
Background
Competition schedule
On 30 June 2017, BBC Wales reported that the two South African teams being dropped from the Super Rugby competition, the Cheetahs and Southern Kings, would be immediately added to Pro12.[1] Their involvement was confirmed on 1 August 2017.[2] The 14 teams were split into two conferences of seven, with each conference featuring two teams each from Ireland and Wales and one team each from Italy, Scotland and South Africa.[3] Connacht were named in Conference A. It was announced that each team would play the other teams in their own conference twice and those in the other conference once. In addition, Connacht would have two additional derby games against Leinster and Ulster, the Irish provinces in Conference B.[4]
In February 2017, Connacht announced that New Zealander Kieran Keane, Chiefs attack coach, had signed a three-year contract to become their new head coach, replacing Pat Lam who moved to Bristol.[5] Following Keane's appointment, existing forwards coach Jimmy Duffy signed an extension to his deal and academy manager Nigel Carolan was promoted to backs coach, leaving his post as head coach of the Ireland under-20s to take the role.[6] In May 2017, Peter Wilkins joined from Edinburgh as defence coach.[7]
Among the prominent departures from the first team squad were Irish international scrum-half John Cooney, who joined Ulster, long-serving prop Ronan Loughney, who retired, and former Springbok Marnitz Boshoff, who departed a year earlier than initially planned for personal reasons. Incoming players included Australian flanker Jarrad Butler and prop Peter McCabe, who had previously been on loan with the team. The team also agreed a deal to sign Fiji international Eroni Vasiteri,[8] but the move was called off after he received a nine-week ban for gouging.[9]All Blacks Sevens player Pita Ahki was signed as a replacement.[10]
Coaching and management team
Note: Flags indicate national union as has been defined under WR eligibility rules. Individuals may hold more than one non-WR nationality.
Senior 15's internationally capped players in bold
Players qualified to play for Ireland on dual nationality or residency grounds*
Irish Provinces are currently limited to four non-Irish eligible (NIE) players and one non-Irish qualified player (NIQ or "Project Player").[23] Connacht is exempted from this under a separate development arrangement.[24]
The official Connacht team and support staff kit supplier for the season was Australian manufacturer BLK sport, who had supplied the full range of apparel for all of Connacht Rugby's representative teams and support staff since 2013.[48] Connacht's main shirt sponsors were Irish sporting retailer Intersport Elverys, in the second year of a three-year deal.[49]
Connacht launched their new home kit for the season in July 2017, in the traditional green.[50] The team launched new away and European kits in August 2017 during a pre-season friendly against former head coach Pat Lam's side Bristol, wearing the away kit in the first half and the European kit in the second half. The away kit was primarily cyan and white, with white shorts and socks, while the European kit was primarily blue and lime green, with blue shorts and lime green socks.[51]
If teams are level at any stage, tiebreakers are applied in the following order -[52]
number of matches won
the difference between points for and points against
the number of tries scored
the most points scored
the difference between tries for and tries against
the fewest red cards received
the fewest yellow cards received
Green background indicates teams that competed in the Pro14 play-offs, and also earned a place in the 2018–19 European Champions Cup (excluding South African teams who are ineligible) Blue background indicates teams outside the play-off places that earned a place in the 2018–19 European Champions Cup, including the winner of the play-off between the two fourth-ranked European teams in each conference Yellow background indicates the loser of the play-off between the two fourth-ranked European teams in each conference, that earned a place in the 2018–19 European Rugby Challenge Cup. Plain background indicates teams that earned a place in the 2018–19 European Rugby Challenge Cup.
(CH) Champions. (RU) Runners-up. (SF) Losing semi-finalists. (QF) Losing quarter-finalists. (PO) Champions Cup play-off winners.
^"Foreign stars hit by new IRFU contract rules". The42. 21 December 2011. Retrieved 26 January 2018. The changes will not apply to Connacht who recently agreed a separate programme of structural and performance development with the IRFU.
