Pat Lam still gambling on securing top six finish in Pro 12

Pat Lam is hoping Connacht's Lotto numbers come up this weekend as they continue to drive towards attaining their goal of finishing in the top six of the Pro 12.

Connacht need an unlikely run of results this weekend to leapfrog Scarlets into the Champions Cup spot, but Lam wants his side to be ready to claim the prize by beating Ospreys at the Sportsground.

It’s pretty simple: four points behind the Welsh side, Connacht must beat the league leaders and hope Treviso can beat Scarlets to take sixth. A losing bonus point for Scarlets means Connacht need a bonus point win to take sixth, while Edinburgh need a minimum of a bonus point win over Leinster to be in with any chance.

Lottery

While the odds of those results landing are not quite as long as becoming a millionaire, Lam knows if Connacht are not in, they can’t win.

“It’s like the lottery,” he said. “A lot of people want to win the lottery but they don’t have a ticket. We need to get a ticket. If we get the win, then we’ll see what happens. But it’s like anything. We said top six and we know it’s not in our full control.”

For Connacht to beat Ospreys for the first time in four games, Lam will need every fit body at his disposal. Added to the list of 15 injury absentees are concerns about Danie Poolman (hand) while Ronan Loughney (groin) is "unlikely" to play at the weekend.

However, the league's longest-serving player, Michael Swift, looks like he might be able to return to the Sportsground for one last game before he retires after he returned to training on Tuesday, He could yet add another cap to the 268 appearances he has made for Connacht.