Byron Ralston says Connacht Rugby have had the ideal preparation for their EPCR Challenge Cup match against CA Brive at The Sportsground on Saturday.

Last month, they won the reverse 41-24 fixture in France, their second successive victory in Pool A after defeating Newcastle Falcons 22-8 in Round 1.

And ahead of their Round 3 clash with the TOP 14 side, Connacht overcame Heineken Champions Cup outfit Cell C Sharks 24-12 in the United Rugby Championship, which wing Ralston says has left them brimming with confidence.

“It was good to see our forwards perform well against a strong South African side and Brive will be the same,” he told the Irish province’s website.

“It was a tough encounter playing Brive over in France, it wasn’t as hostile as we thought it might be, but the main thing is we got the win leaving there.

“It was a really physical game and the Sharks brought that as well on Saturday so it was a good test coming into this one.”

Nonetheless, Ralston says Connacht will be concentrating on their own game rather than worrying about their opponents.

“We’re just looking to play the Connacht brand of rugby so whatever Brive bring we’ll be ready,” he asserted.

“We want to move the ball and play fast so let Brive work on us and we’ll do our bit around them but the main thing for us is playing our type of game.”

Australian Ralston has now been at the club for almost a year after joining from Western Force in his homeland, and he says he’s impressed with what he sees in the squad.

“There’s some serious energy around the group and when you look at the roster and see the names you know going into every training session you need to be on your game,” he said.

“There’s real depth here and lads are pushing each other to improve.”