2018–19 Connacht Rugby season


The 2018–19 season was Irish provincial rugby union side Connacht Rugby's eighteenth season competing in the Pro14, and the team's twenty-third season as a professional side. It was Andy Friend's first season in charge of the side.
In the regular season, Connacht were in Conference A of the Pro14. The team finished third in their conference, qualifying for the play-offs for the first time since the 2015–16 season where they were beaten by Ulster in the quarter-final. As well as playing in the Pro14, the team competed in the Challenge Cup in Europe. They qualified as one of the best runners up from a pool including Bordeaux, Perpignan and Sale Sharks to reach the quarter-finals, where they again met Sale. A 20–10 defeat saw the team eliminated in the last eight.
In addition to the league and European competitions, the Connacht Eagles development side competed in two new competitions. The first was the Celtic Cup, which saw them play against other Irish provinces' development teams and sides from Wales. The Eagles finished bottom of the Irish conference the inaugural edition of this tournament. The second competition was the Cara Cup, which involved the Irish provinces and the New England Free Jacks, a newly established Major League Rugby side. The Eagles won both of their games, beating Ulster and the Free Jacks.

Background

Following the removal of head coach Kieran Keane one year into a three-year deal, Andy Friend was hired as his replacement. The team also have a new captain for the season, following the retirement of John Muldoon, the province's most-capped player. In August 2018, Jarrad Butler was named as his replacement.

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.
RoleNameUnion
Chief ExecutiveWillie Ruane
Team ManagerTim Allnutt
Head CoachAndy Friend
Forwards CoachJimmy Duffy
Backs CoachNigel Carolan
Defence CoachPeter Wilkins
Head Performance AnalystSimon Kavanagh
Head of Strength and ConditiongDavid Howarth
Strength and Conditioning CoachJohnny O'Connor
Academy ManagerEric Elwood
Connacht Eagles CoachMossy Lawler

Players

Senior playing squad

The Connacht senior squad for 2018–19 was:
The Connacht academy squad for 2018–19 was:

Senior team transfers

Players in

Pro14

Regular season

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Play-offs

Challenge Cup

Pool 3

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Pool winners and runners-up rankings

Quarter-finals