You might think that Connacht’s defeat of Glasgow Warriors on the final day of the Guinness PRO12 regular season gives the Irish side the psychological advantage heading into Saturday’s semi-final rematch. But Glasgow head coach Gregor Townsend is adamant that defeat is the best thing that could have happened to his troops. Connacht’s narrow 14-7 triumph a fortnight ago helped them finish second in the table, meaning the Sportsground will become the eighth different venue to host a Guinness PRO12 play-off. No away side has ever won a semi-final in the competition and the omens are even better for Connacht as they gear up for their first-ever play-off appearance with their last five league matches having been won by the home side on the day. In fact Pat Lam’s men have lost just one match in Galway, in any competition, all season – that being a 10-3 loss to Ulster back in December. That makes the Warriors’ loss on the final day – which means this semi-final is at the Sportsground and not Scotstoun – seem even more crucial. Yet Townsend is refusing to be downhearted about that defeat. “It was the best thing that could have happened to us. You learn more from defeat,” said Townsend. “You do get confidence from victories but you find out how to be better after a loss. Things get put through the magnifying glass. “We’ve had two weeks’ preparation to put things right. It would have been better for the club and our supporters to have been at home but having that defeat has really sharpened our focus ahead of this weekend. “Our preparation has been better than normal because the team we just lost to, and who we want to put a few things right against, is who we play in the next game. “We will learn from where we could be better and try to get our strengths out. But whether you are home or away, these games are always going to be tough. We lost away to Leinster three years ago by just two points. “We won two years ago at home to Munster by a point and then against Ulster last year by a point. So they are always tight. Whoever takes their opportunities will win.” As the Warriors look to become just the second-ever side after Leinster in 2014 to retain their PRO12 title, they make five changes to the starting XV that lost to Connacht last time out. Mark Bennett takes over from injured centre Alex Dunbar with two further back-line changes coming as Scotland internationals Sean Lamont and Henry Pyrgos come in for Lee Jones and Ali Price. In the pack, Zander Fagerson replaces suspended prop Sila Puafisi with Simone Favaro preferred to Rob Harley in the back-row. Connacht make just one alteration as flanker Eoin McKeon replaces Sean O’Brien as they look to stop Glasgow reaching a third consecutive Guinness PRO12 final. The Irish side not only halted their Scottish opponents’ nine-match winning run this term by triumphing a fortnight ago but also ended a streak of eight successive Warriors wins in the fixture. Connacht have had many special days in a season that has seen them comfortably record the finest Guinness PRO12 finish in their history and coach Lam is now targeting one more on Saturday, even if he knows the magnitude of the task in front of them. “We are under no illusions when it comes to the challenge we face against the defending champions Glasgow who are stacked with players with plenty of experience of Test match and knockout rugby,” Lam said. “We know they will be much stronger than they were two weeks ago but if we channel our physicality and the excitement into our game, we will be able to meet that challenge head on. “It’s an exciting time for everyone involved in Connacht Rugby as we head into our first-ever PRO12 semi-final. “The reason we’ve had such a good record at home this season is the special atmosphere generated by our supporters and we’re all looking to give them another special day to remember in our last home game of the season.” At The Sportsground, 6.30pm Live on Sky Sports/TG4/BBC ALBA and BBC Sport Scotland Referee: Marius Mitrea (FIR, 53rd competition game) Assistant Referees: Nigel Owens (WRU) Stefano Penne (FIR) Citing Commissioner: Gwyn Bowden (WRU) TMO: Carlo Damasco (FIR)
