By JOHN FALLON

Connacht will be without their Six Nations players for Saturday’s trip to Wales play Ospreys (7.15pm), but will be back for the sellout clash against Munster at MacHale Park in Castlebar a week later.

Scrum and attack coach Colm Tucker said that with the breaks for the Six Nations games – Connacht’s last game was a 38-30 win at home to Benetton back on March 1 – players are raring to go and competition for places is keen, even without the Irish internationals.

“They’re chomping at the bit. So it puts us in that, you know, pressurised position to get the right team on the pitch each week.

“But that’s a great place for us to be in. That’s a great place for us to be in as a coach and ticket and as a squad.”

While Connacht will be without Mack Hansen, Bundee Aki, Finlay Bealham and skipper Cian Prendergast, scrum-half Caolin Blade is available for the trip to Swansea and Tucker said it’s now up to all involved to push on for a big finish to the season.

“You are into the business end now, we’ve three big games in a row. Hopefully more knockout games after Cardiff,” added Tucker. After this weekend, Connacht take on Munster in Mayo (Saturday March 29), before a trip to South Africa for games against the Stormers (Saturday April 19) and the Lions (Saturday April 26), with a European Challenge quarter-final against Cardiff sandwiched between the Munster game and trip to South Africa (Saturday April 5).

“Down the line, then you are off to South Africa so it’s a big physical block, the wider squad are going to be very important for us. We just need to keep momentum, keep it game-to-game,” said Tucker, who will not be following two of fellow assistant coaches out the door in Connacht this Summer.

The Limerick native has been strongly linked with a move to Munster as his native province sorts out its coaching ticket for the coming years, but he has confirmed he is contracted to Connacht for another season and is not looking at anywhere else.

“I’m very happy here. I am contracted here for another year and I wouldn’t even comment on any speculation that’s in the paper. I’m very happy here and, you know, I can see myself being in Connacht again.”

Tucker has made a big contribution since he arrived in the Sportsground a decade ago, initially as a coach development officer before moving to the role of provincial talent coach a year later.

Pictured: Shamus Hurley-Langton on the charge for Connacht in their most recent game, a 38-30 win over Benetton three weeks ago. Photo: Joe O’Shaughnessy.