Lions vs Connacht URC preview: Lineups and recent form

Jonny BlackJonny Black
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Home teamLions
Away teamConnacht
VenueEllis Park
CompetitionURC
Kick off time3 pm (UK)
Watch Live in the UKPremier Sports

Lions vs Connacht URC preview as these sides meet at Ellis Park. These two teams have a chance to compete for a playoff place. 

The Lions currently sit fourth, just three points behind second and third. The Stormers play Glasgow, who are top and therefore could be catchable. Their opponents all the way down in ninth are just four points behind them, and therefore, the result of this game could be huge for these teams chasing the top eight playoffs.

Read more match previews for all your rugby action here

Lions vs Connacht lineups tbc

LionsConnacht
Forwards
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Backs
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
Replacements
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23

Recent Form:

Lions (Home team): 

ResultDateCompetitionOpponentScore
Won18th April 2026URCGlasgow Warriors54-12
Won28th March 2026URCDragons42-26
Won21st March 2026URCEdinburgh54-17
Won28th February 2026URCStormers24-10
Won21st February 2026URCSharks34-22

The Lions are one of the most inform teams in world rugby as they have won five in a row, all of which have been at home. Their last six games have been at home, and this will make it seven in a row. In the last round, they pulled off a huge win over league leaders, the Glasgow Warriors. They won 54-12, scoring eight tries, four in each half.

Connacht (Away team): 

ResultDateCompetitionOpponentScore
Won18th April 2026URCStormers24-33
Loss11th April 2026Challenge CupMontpellier45-22
Won3rd April 2026Challenge CupSharks29-12
Won 28th March 2026URCOspreys21-14
Won 20th March 2026URCUlster19-26

Connacht have won their last six URC games, but did lose in the Challenge Cup quarter-final to Montpellier. In the last round, they picked up a huge win over the Stormers. They won 33-24, scoring four of their five tries in the second-half. They were sitting 17-7 behind with 30 minutes to go but Connacht turned it around and managed the game well in the end.

Lions vs Connacht head-to-head record (last four matches):

DateCompetitionWinnerScore
26th April 2025URCLions26-7
23rd March 2024URCLions14-38
28th January 2023URCConnacht43-24
23rd April 2022URCConnacht30-33

These sides have met four times since the Lions joined the URC. Two of these have been won by each team with Connacht winning the first two, while the Liosn have won the last two. The winning team has scored more than 25 points in each of these games.

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Jonny is a former rugby player in Ireland's club system and is an Ulster and Ireland fan. He has spent a number of years writing about football and this was what brought him to the Dave Sport Group. As an expert in Irish Rugby, his expertise also stretches to Super Rugby having lived in New Zealand previously.

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