| Club: | Connacht |
| Season: | 2020–21 |
| Chairman: | Willie Ruane |
| Chrtitle: | Chief executive |
| Manager: | Andy Friend |
| Mgrtitle: | Head coach |
| Captain: | Jarrad Butler |
| League: | Pro14 |
| League Result: | 2nd, Conf. B |
| League2: | Pro14 Rainbow Cup |
| League2 Result: | 6th |
| Cup1: | Champions Cup |
| Cup1 Result: | Pool stage (10th) |
| Cup2: | Challenge Cup |
| Cup2 Result: | Round of 16 |
| Points Scorer: | Jack Carty (131) |
| Try Scorer: | Alex Wootton (11) |
| Average Attendance: | N/A |
| Pattern La1: | _connacht_home_20-21 |
| Pattern B1: | _connacht_home_20-21 |
| Pattern Ra1: | _connacht_home_20-21 |
| Pattern Sh1: | _connacht_home_20-21 |
| Pattern So1: | _connacht_home_20-21 |
| Leftarm1: | 1a1a1a |
| Body1: | 1c432e |
| Rightarm1: | 1a1a1a |
| Shorts1: | 1c432e |
| Socks1: | 1c432e |
| Pattern La2: | _connacht_away_20-21 |
| Pattern B2: | _connacht_away_20-21 |
| Pattern Ra2: | _connacht_away_20-21 |
| Pattern Sh2: | _connacht_away_20-21 |
| Pattern So2: | _connacht_away_20-21 |
| Leftarm2: | 1a1a1a |
| Body2: | 1a1a1a |
| Rightarm2: | 1a1a1a |
| Shorts2: | 1a1a1a |
| Socks2: | 1a1a1a |
| Pattern La3: | _connacht_home_20-21 |
| Pattern B3: | _connacht_euro_20-21 |
| Pattern Ra3: | _connacht_home_20-21 |
| Pattern Sh3: | _connacht_away_20-21 |
| Pattern So3: | _connacht_euro_20-21 |
| Leftarm3: | 1a1a1a |
| Body3: | 7fae3c |
| Rightarm3: | 1a1a1a |
| Shorts3: | 1a1a1a |
| Socks3: | 1a1a1a |
| Prevseason: | 2019–20 |
The 2020–21 season was Irish provincial rugby union side Connacht Rugby's twentieth season competing in the Pro14, and the team's twenty-fifth season as a professional side. It was Andy Friend's third season in charge of the side.
In addition to the Pro14, Connacht competed in the European Champions Cup. This was confirmed in August 2020, as the tournament was expanded to 24 teams on a one-season basis.[1] The Champions Cup pool stage finished prematurely after just two rounds. As one of the bottom eight teams at that point, Connacht were entered into the Challenge Cup in the round of 16 where they were beaten by the Leicester Tigers.
Note: Flags indicate national union as has been defined under WR eligibility rules. Individuals may hold more than one non-WR nationality.
| Role | Name | Union |
|---|---|---|
| Chief Executive | Willie Ruane[2] | |
| Team Manager | Tim Allnutt | |
| Head Coach | Andy Friend | |
| Forwards Coach | Jimmy Duffy | |
| Backs Coach | Nigel Carolan | |
| Defence Coach | Peter Wilkins | |
| Senior Video Analyst | Simon Kavanagh | |
| Head of Strength and Conditiong | David Howarth | |
| Senior Strength and Conditioning Coach | Johnny O'Connor | |
| Academy Manager | Eric Elwood | |
| Connacht Rugby Pro14 squad | ||
|---|---|---|
Props
Hookers Locks
| Back row
Scrum-halves Fly-halves | Centres
Wings Fullbacks |
| (c) denotes the team captain, Bold denotes internationally capped players. * denotes players qualified to play for Ireland on residency or dual nationality. L denotes a player on loan at the club. ST denotes a short-term signing at the club. Players and their allocated positions from the Connacht Rugby website.[3] |
| Connacht Rugby Academy squad | ||
|---|---|---|
Props
Hookers
Locks
| Back row
Scrum-halves
Fly-halves
| Centres
Wings
Fullbacks
|
| (c) denotes the team captain, Bold denotes internationally capped players, number in brackets indicates players stage in the three-year academy cycle. * denotes players qualified to play for Ireland on residency or dual nationality. Players and their allocated positions from the Connacht Rugby website.[4] [5] |
Unlike most seasons, where the bulk of transfers occur during the summer pre-season the 2019–20 season saw two separate periods of major transfer activity. Many moves scheduled to happen at the end of the season instead took place during the extended hiatus from March to August 2020. Despite these moves technically happening during the previous season, they are included in the transfers listed here.
Abraham Papali'i from Bay of Plenty
Ben O'Donnell from Australia Sevens[9] Tom McCartney retired[11]
Soyaux Angoulême[14] Colby Fainga'a to Lyon[15] David Horwitz to Randwick[16] Kyle Godwin to Western Force[17]See main article: 2020–21 Pro14.
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See main article: Pro14 Rainbow Cup.
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See main article: 2020–21 European Rugby Champions Cup.
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See main article: 2020–21 European Rugby Challenge Cup.