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Connacht boss Andy Friend says his team doesn’t feel sorry for themselves and “counts their blessings” despite a series of setbacks leading up to their clash against Racing 92.
The Westerners will face the finalists defeated last year in the first round of their Heineken Champions Cup campaign on Sunday (3:15 PM Irish time).
Second in the Guinness Pro14 Conference B table, they have already seen two games postponed due to Covid outbreaks in their opponents’ camps, while Friend has been left without four team members after a positive test on the Connacht panel. this week.
A first-round tie at Paris’s La Defense Arena against a Racing team narrowly beaten in the final by Exeter just under two months ago couldn’t be more overwhelming, but in the midst of a pandemic, Friend is philosophical. .
“We’re [privileged] and that is not lost on us, “Australia told RTÉ Sport.
“The word ‘perspective’ has been used a lot during this period and all [is] in perspective.
“We’ve had our own frustrations with postponed games, but you look at it and say, ‘Is that really a bother?’ No, it is not because we are still doing what we love.
Covid-19 makes it difficult for Connacht to prepare for the Racing 92 crash
“We are still working, we are still getting paid, albeit at a slightly lower rate, but that doesn’t matter because we have a job.
“We can go out there and do what we love. We all count our blessings and realize that we are in a privileged position.
“The good news is that we want to give people hope and something to smile about.”
The Paris giants have left former Ireland players Donnacha Ryan and Simon Zebo on the bench, but still boast a star-studded lineup with Finn Russell, Teddy Iribaren, Teddy Thomas, Kurtley Beale, Camille Chat, Bernard Le Roux and Virimi Vakatawa, all headlines. .
“For sure when we get there we will have our preparation for the game, there will be ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ about the stadium and everything it does,” said Friend, whose team will welcome Bristol to the Sportsground next weekend. .
“We like to see it at full capacity, which it won’t be. Once that’s out of the way, it comes down to what we can do in 80 minutes of football in the rectangle.”
“We have a big focus on how we prepare. 80% of our game has to be about us, what we can control. We will certainly look at Racing and we know they have threats throughout the park.”
“We have identified theirs and we think we have a chance. It is good to know the enemy so that we know him, but it is all about what we do.
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“As a team, collectively and as individuals, there are some world-class players. As a coach, as players, they want to face the best, so this is an opportunity for us.
“Running is a great challenge to start with.
“We are excited, but at the end of the day it is a rectangle 100m long and 70m wide, so that’s what happens in the middle.”
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