2014–15 Connacht Rugby season
| Ground(s) |
Galway Sportsgrounds (Capacity: 7,800) |
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|---|---|---|---|
| Coach(es) | Pat Lam | ||
| Captain(s) | John Muldoon | ||
| Most appearances | George Naoupu (28) | ||
| Top scorer | Jack Carty (119) | ||
| Most tries | Matt Healy (9) | ||
|
Pro12 Challenge Cup |
7th Quarter-finals |
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The 2014–15 season was Irish provincial rugby union side Connacht Rugby's fourteenth season competing in the Pro12, and the team's nineteenth season as a professional side. It was also Pat Lam's second season in charge of the side.
As well as playing in the Pro12, Connacht competed in the newly established Rugby Challenge Cup, having played in the now-defunct Heineken Cup the previous season. The second tier side, the Connacht Eagles, competed in the 2014–15 British and Irish Cup.
The 2014–15 season saw the Heineken Cup replaced by the 20 team Rugby Champions Cup and the creation of this competition meant the Pro12 standings would have a greater impact on European qualification. Under the previous format, the Pro12 provided a minimum of ten teams, with Scotland and Italy providing two teams each, and Ireland and Wales both providing three.
The new system saw one place now being reserved for the highest finishing Pro12 team from each of four participating countries, along with three other qualifiers based solely on league position, for a total of seven teams. The other teams were to be entered in the new second tier competition, the Rugby Challenge Cup. This meant Connacht were no longer required to finish ahead of another Irish province or rely on an Irish victory in a European tournament to qualify for the top tier of European rugby.
The final tournament spot in the 2015–16 Rugby Champions Cup was decided by a playoff involving the Pro12's highest finishing team that is not already qualified, along with the seventh highest finishing clubs from France's Top 14 and the English Premiership.
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