Connacht are well used to facing French opposition in the European Challenge Cup - but it will be a "first" for the Irish province when they travel to Grenoble for their quarter-final First Leg match on Friday night.
Last season Connacht beat Beziers, Pau and Narbonne en route to the semi-finals. This season it has been Narbonne and Montpellier with Grenoble and their coach the legendary Dean Richards making it another French treble.
"We have got plenty of experience of playing against French clubs over the years - but this is the first time we will be playing a French side coached by an Englishman," said coach Michael Bradley.
"We know Dean of old and that will make it a very interesting encounter. He was an excellent player for Leicester, England and the Lions and certainly seems to have found his feet with Grenoble.
"We have only heard good things about him coming out from France but, that said, we are making strenuous endeavours to get more information about the team because at the moment we do not have that much on the side itself."
Over the years Connacht have certainly had more than a fair share of French challenges. They have also played Toulon, Begles-Bordeaux, Nice, Agen, Perigueux, Racing CF and Montferrand (now Clermont Auvergne) to make it a round 12 different French clubs.
"I am always happy to play the First Leg away from home, leaving you with knowing exactly what you have to do in the home match," said Bradley.
"And the game over there promises to be very competitive. I believe they have had a few poor results recently and, with all French teams coming back from a break while we have been playing each weekend, this could be a good time to get them.
"However, we have a lengthy injury list - at the moment we have eight players out - and it is getting to the point where it would be virtually impossible to handle the situation if we got any more injuries."
Connacht fell to eventual European Challenge Cup winners NEC Harlequins on a -4 points difference in the semi-finals last season and Bradley is adamant that "we want to go at least one better this time."
The lure for all the last eight teams is an automatic place in the 2005 / 2006 Heineken Cup for the European Challenge Cup winner with five French and two English clubs left in the hunt along with Connacht.
"It has already been a fascinating competition this season - and I honestly believe it is an even tougher one that a year ago.
"The quality of the teams left in the last eight means there are some very serious sides indeed after the title.
"It is going to be very difficult but we are still there and all we are focusing on is the trip to Grenoble and then the Second Leg eight days later."
