French side Brive, who Connacht play on Friday, are having a bit of a nightmare start with coach Richard Crepsey being shown the door after two opening losses. They only brought him in during the summer after narrowly avoiding relegation last year.

You sort of know you are down on your luck when one of your own, sort to speak, comes back to put the boot in.

They were leading Biarritz before the French international Dimitri Yachvili landed a few penalties for a 12-7 victory.

Adding insult to injury is that Yachvili's father Michel, himself a former French hooker, is from nearby Tulle and played for Brive for a few seasons.

BRIVE WON the Heineken Cup ten years ago and were runners-up a year later. They are just one of two sides to win the Heineken Cup having never won their domestic championship. And the other? Northampton Saints who defeated Munster 9-8 in the final in 2000 and who were relegated last year.

Brive have lost all four domestic finals they have reached, the most recent to Toulouse in 1996. Clermont Auvergne, runners-up last year, hold the record of most finals lost and none won having gone down in all seven deciders.

MOST PRESUMED Cetransa El Salvador, the Spanish side who will come to the Sportsground on Friday week, were in the European Challenge Cup for the first time.

Not so. And Brive might be able to shed some light on the unknown Spaniards. They met them in this competition three years ago, winning 45-23 in northern Spain and 57-6 in France.

NEWCASTLE FALCONS, who Connacht face in back to back matches in December, have suffered a big blow with former Australian World Cup winner Matt Burke being ruled out for the season with a knee injury. The 34-year old full-back, who scored 878 points in 81 tests, is not likely to be back until the start of next season and there are fears his career could be over.

ALL FOUR Connacht clubs will be away from home in the AIB League this Saturday.

Galwegians will bid to maintain their 100% start when they travel to Terenure College. They are likely to be boosted by the availability of Connacht's Matt Mostyn who has been out of action for the best part of a year with a couple of terrible injuries.

Buccaneers will head to Limerick to face Old Crescent, while Corinthians and Connemara are up north against Queen's Univeristy and Rainey Old Boys respectively.

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