Connacht's form this season in the Pro12 could give them the confidence to push on and push for silverware in the Challenge Cup as well.

After last week's defeat to Ulster, Pat Lam's side can still take a lot of positives into this weekend's clash with Grenoble and this is something that Bernard Jackman, head coach of the French side, is well aware of.

"Obviously I follow Irish rugby and I've followed Connacht this season. It's only when you go and study them with a forensic analysis that you see the strides that they've made" he said.

"I watched them live against Leinster, but when you come up against them you really have to get stuck in. I think that the way Pat talks about system... They are very structured, but those structures have given them the ability to look like the most skillful team on the world.

"The shape they adopt in attack mean the same guys are doing the same thing over and over again, week in week out, at training and more importantly on the pitch. They don't focus on changing their philosophy based on the opposition.

Niyi Adeolokun carries for Connaht away to Ulster last week. Image: ©INPHO/James Crombie

"Sometimes teams try and be too smart, they tailor the game plan too frequently to suit the opposition. In attack, Connacht look very comfortable in what they do and players get to show their skill level because they're doing the same thing over and over again.

"It's a very different threat for us than what we face in the Top14. In our league it's about power and size, about physicality. Connacht have got good physicality but their game is about high tempo and making you defend multiple phases.

"It's very efficient, we would have a very similar philosophy and that's OK in the Top14. Now we face a team who are quite like us and it'll test our ability to adapt to that quickly."