THE DUST IS only beginning to settle on Connacht’s greatest day ever and already the they are dreaming of going again.
John Muldoon lifts the Pro12 trophy at Murrayfield. James Crombie / INPHO
James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO
There will be further parties to throw and then hangovers to nurse this week, although a handful of Connacht’s Pro12 winners are already in Ireland mode as they now look towards a three-Test tour of South Africa.
For some, last weekend was a goodbye.
Robbie Henshaw, Aly Muldowney and AJ MacGinty are all going to be greatly missed, while the less-heralded Jason Harris-Wright, Fionn Carr, George Naoupu, Ian Porter, and Api Pewhairangi are also leaving.
Each of them played a part in Connacht’s journey towards a first-ever trophy.
Cian Kelleher, Eoin Griffin, Marnitz Boshoff and Conor Carey are the only new signings confirmed at present and though he is losing three players who are pivotal in Saturday’s 20-10 final win over Leinster, head coach Pat Lam says it’s simply part of the sport.
“Not at all, because we’ve got a plan,” said Lam on Saturday when asked how difficult it was going to be to maintain this group’s momentum next season.
“I’ve always said that what we’re building can’t be reliant on any individual. Guys will come and players will go, management will come and management will go but we have the systems and the structures and that’s the important thing.”
Lam cited the work of the likes of CEO Willie Ruane, academy manager Nigel Carolan and domestic game manager Eric Elwood as essential in ensuring that this Connacht achievement is now sustainable.
Lam and John Muldoon after arriving in Knock Airport late on Saturday night. James Crombie / INPHO
James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO
“There’s no team, not Leinster, not any of the Pro12 teams, no Premiership team, that will have exactly the same team every year,” continued Lam. “It changes but what won’t change is the continued growth in all the different areas in this because we’ve got a plan.”
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Whatever about next season, when Lam wants to retain the Pro12 trophy and get into the Champions Cup quarter-finals, Connacht must relish every second of the feeling of success right now.
Lam said Saturday was “one of the highlights of my coaching career” while captain John Muldoon was positively beaming with joy after finally lifting a trophy after 13 seasons with the province.
He admits to having had doubts as to whether he could continue in the tougher Connacht years, but his faith has been rewarded after 275 games.
“You always believe, but when you’re going through tough days it’s always harder to believe,” said Muldoon.
“Look I’ve said it lots of times, I’ve walked in off the pitch a couple of times and said, ‘Right, that’s me done, I’m not staying here’. Unfortunately, at times I felt we weren’t moving as quick as I wanted us to move.
“I felt that I needed a place to move but it’s where you’re from, it’s who you are and I saw lots of friends and family and neighbours out there, a lot of them aren’t rugby people but I’m delighted to see them here.
“Look, it’s huge. At times I’d be lying if I said I didn’t see this coming but ultimately deep down you always believe that it’s coming, and you always believe that you can be part of it and I’m just chuffed that I’m here.”
Muldoon with fellow Connacht legend Eric Elwood. James Crombie / INPHO
James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO
While Muldoon is one of those Connacht players with a beach calling out to him, Kieran Marmion, Finlay Bealham, Ultan Dillane, Quinn Roux and the Leinster-bound Henshaw are now into Ireland camp.
Connacht’s rise has seen their representation in Joe Schmidt’s squad grow slowly, but there is certainly major desire to see it improve even further in the coming year.
Saturday’s final suggested that Schmidt has made selection errors in his back three at least, with Connacht’s Tiernan O’Halloran, Matt Healy and Niyi Adeolokun comfortably outplaying Leinster’s international trio of Rob Kearney, Luke Fitzgerald and Dave Kearney.
Lam praised his back three after the victory in Murrayfield but also pointed out that they are only prospering because of the efforts of their team-mates.
“Those boys when they’re on the ball, when they carry, it’s what the off-the-ball boys do and that’s the key,” said Lam. “You can run the ball back but if you don’t have that clean out on the back of that then we don’t have any shape after that, we’re asking for trouble.
“And those back three boys have real confidence because a) I tell them to run, and you want them to have a go, but b) if anyone’s walking, they all know that if I see anyone walking when a ball’s kicked then they’re telling me ‘I need more fitness work’.
“So every time a ball goes up I’m checking who is walking and who is running. The boys know that but they work to a shape so that they can pure counter-attack.
“And I set the guys a goal to make Connacht one of the best counter-attacking teams, and again big picture stuff but on the back of that these are the little things we have to do.”
Connacht's back three were immense on Saturday. James Crombie / INPHO
James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO
Lam’s message, as always, is that the collective focus has allowed individuals to shine. Connacht’s ambitious and organised approach in attack has allowed their players to do exactly that and Lam stresses that the whole is more than the sum of its parts.
“Are they better than players that may be above them?” said Lam in reference to his back three missing out on Ireland selection. “I don’t know but the number one thing is that they get a chance to express themselves and I think that’s the key.
“Rugby’s a game where guys just have to have a chance to express that; it’s a team game.
“Those guys could get onto another team and play a different sort of shape and structure and they could be average, but in fairness everyone shares the workload and everyone gets a chance to shine.
“And I think that’s why we had seven guys in the Pro12 dream team, they all got there on the back of the work they do. They can shine.”
Even with the losses of Henshaw, Muldowney and MacGinty, Connacht believe they can shine even more brilliantly in the future.
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Pat Lam's Connacht plan for Pro12 victory to be only the beginning
THE DUST IS only beginning to settle on Connacht’s greatest day ever and already the they are dreaming of going again.
There will be further parties to throw and then hangovers to nurse this week, although a handful of Connacht’s Pro12 winners are already in Ireland mode as they now look towards a three-Test tour of South Africa.
For some, last weekend was a goodbye.
Robbie Henshaw, Aly Muldowney and AJ MacGinty are all going to be greatly missed, while the less-heralded Jason Harris-Wright, Fionn Carr, George Naoupu, Ian Porter, and Api Pewhairangi are also leaving.
Each of them played a part in Connacht’s journey towards a first-ever trophy.
Cian Kelleher, Eoin Griffin, Marnitz Boshoff and Conor Carey are the only new signings confirmed at present and though he is losing three players who are pivotal in Saturday’s 20-10 final win over Leinster, head coach Pat Lam says it’s simply part of the sport.
“Not at all, because we’ve got a plan,” said Lam on Saturday when asked how difficult it was going to be to maintain this group’s momentum next season.
“I’ve always said that what we’re building can’t be reliant on any individual. Guys will come and players will go, management will come and management will go but we have the systems and the structures and that’s the important thing.”
Lam cited the work of the likes of CEO Willie Ruane, academy manager Nigel Carolan and domestic game manager Eric Elwood as essential in ensuring that this Connacht achievement is now sustainable.
“There’s no team, not Leinster, not any of the Pro12 teams, no Premiership team, that will have exactly the same team every year,” continued Lam. “It changes but what won’t change is the continued growth in all the different areas in this because we’ve got a plan.”
Whatever about next season, when Lam wants to retain the Pro12 trophy and get into the Champions Cup quarter-finals, Connacht must relish every second of the feeling of success right now.
Lam said Saturday was “one of the highlights of my coaching career” while captain John Muldoon was positively beaming with joy after finally lifting a trophy after 13 seasons with the province.
He admits to having had doubts as to whether he could continue in the tougher Connacht years, but his faith has been rewarded after 275 games.
“You always believe, but when you’re going through tough days it’s always harder to believe,” said Muldoon.
“Look I’ve said it lots of times, I’ve walked in off the pitch a couple of times and said, ‘Right, that’s me done, I’m not staying here’. Unfortunately, at times I felt we weren’t moving as quick as I wanted us to move.
“I felt that I needed a place to move but it’s where you’re from, it’s who you are and I saw lots of friends and family and neighbours out there, a lot of them aren’t rugby people but I’m delighted to see them here.
“Look, it’s huge. At times I’d be lying if I said I didn’t see this coming but ultimately deep down you always believe that it’s coming, and you always believe that you can be part of it and I’m just chuffed that I’m here.”
While Muldoon is one of those Connacht players with a beach calling out to him, Kieran Marmion, Finlay Bealham, Ultan Dillane, Quinn Roux and the Leinster-bound Henshaw are now into Ireland camp.
Connacht’s rise has seen their representation in Joe Schmidt’s squad grow slowly, but there is certainly major desire to see it improve even further in the coming year.
Saturday’s final suggested that Schmidt has made selection errors in his back three at least, with Connacht’s Tiernan O’Halloran, Matt Healy and Niyi Adeolokun comfortably outplaying Leinster’s international trio of Rob Kearney, Luke Fitzgerald and Dave Kearney.
Lam praised his back three after the victory in Murrayfield but also pointed out that they are only prospering because of the efforts of their team-mates.
“Those boys when they’re on the ball, when they carry, it’s what the off-the-ball boys do and that’s the key,” said Lam. “You can run the ball back but if you don’t have that clean out on the back of that then we don’t have any shape after that, we’re asking for trouble.
“And those back three boys have real confidence because a) I tell them to run, and you want them to have a go, but b) if anyone’s walking, they all know that if I see anyone walking when a ball’s kicked then they’re telling me ‘I need more fitness work’.
“So every time a ball goes up I’m checking who is walking and who is running. The boys know that but they work to a shape so that they can pure counter-attack.
“And I set the guys a goal to make Connacht one of the best counter-attacking teams, and again big picture stuff but on the back of that these are the little things we have to do.”
Lam’s message, as always, is that the collective focus has allowed individuals to shine. Connacht’s ambitious and organised approach in attack has allowed their players to do exactly that and Lam stresses that the whole is more than the sum of its parts.
“Are they better than players that may be above them?” said Lam in reference to his back three missing out on Ireland selection. “I don’t know but the number one thing is that they get a chance to express themselves and I think that’s the key.
“Rugby’s a game where guys just have to have a chance to express that; it’s a team game.
“Those guys could get onto another team and play a different sort of shape and structure and they could be average, but in fairness everyone shares the workload and everyone gets a chance to shine.
“And I think that’s why we had seven guys in the Pro12 dream team, they all got there on the back of the work they do. They can shine.”
Even with the losses of Henshaw, Muldowney and MacGinty, Connacht believe they can shine even more brilliantly in the future.
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Analysis: Connacht’s sensational attack brings them Pro12 glory
‘It’s realistic’ – Pat Lam targets back-to-back Pro12 titles for Connacht
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