The Connacht provincial team has also performed excellently in European competition, spurred on by a large and enthusiastic following from all over the west. A glance at the AIB Division 1 league table will show Galwegians and Buccaneers in fourth and sixth places respectively. This is surely an indication of how well Connacht rugby is doing and must bode well for an even brighter and more successful future. I am confident that the people in the IRFU who will make the decision on the future of professional rugby in Connacht will bear these facts in mind. The IRFU has met the great challenges of the changeover to the professional game with sensitivity, skill and good judgment.