{"id":3957,"date":"2026-01-12T15:49:52","date_gmt":"2026-01-12T15:49:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/craggyrugby.com\/?p=3957"},"modified":"2026-03-22T15:51:44","modified_gmt":"2026-03-22T15:51:44","slug":"missing-out-in-montpellier","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/craggyrugby.com\/index.php\/2026\/01\/12\/missing-out-in-montpellier\/","title":{"rendered":"Missing out in Montpellier"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.patreon.com\/posts\/montpellier-jan-148023145?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&amp;utm_source=copyLink&amp;utm_campaign=postshare_creator&amp;utm_content=join_link\">Montpellier 33 Connacht 31<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Connacht threw away a chance to control their own destiny in this season&#8217;s Challenge Cup by conceding 3 tries in the last quarter of the match against a strong Montpellier side in France.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>William Davies and Linley MacKenzie join host Alan Deegan in what was a much more upbeat analysis of another gut wrenching defeat based on the fact that Connacht fielded a very young team and and even younger bench and they almost pulled off a major shock.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It wasn&#8217;t to be but it will be interesting to see what direction Connacht team selections go for the rest of the season based on the huge amount of positive signs that were shown by this young group in garnering 2 points away from home to keep themselves in with a chance of finishing 2nd and at a minimum 4th, thereby qualifying for the round of 16.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Montpellier 33 Connacht 31 Connacht threw away a chance to control their own destiny in this season&#8217;s Challenge Cup by conceding 3 tries in the last quarter of the match [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3943,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[283],"tags":[45,44,101,186],"class_list":["post-3957","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-2025-26-season","tag-challenge-cup","tag-connacht-rugby","tag-connacht-rugby-podcast","tag-montpellier","clearfix"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Missing out in Montpellier - Craggy Rugby<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/craggyrugby.com\/index.php\/2026\/01\/12\/missing-out-in-montpellier\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" 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