Ryan Bailey reports from Thomond Park
GIVEN CONNACHT ARRIVED with a reconfigured side and more than one eye on the serious business around the corner, Andy Friend wanted to assess his side’s performance against Munster through the prism of three criteria; pride, opportunities and momentum.
“Pride, tick,” the head coach began. “Opportunities, tick. Momentum, we lost but it wasn’t a bad performance.”
Even in defeat, Connacht’s first in five Pro14 outings, there were positives to extract for the western province as they head into their quarter-final showdown with Ulster.
The visitors more than played their part in an entertaining inter-pro at Thomond Park, fronting up in the physicality stakes despite arriving with nothing tangible to play for, while a number of players seized their starting opportunities with standout displays.
Overall, it meant Friend was very pleased with his much-changed side’s showing.
“Disappointed with the loss, however, quite pleased with a few performances out there,” he continued. “I thought we didn’t stop trying and whilst it’s a loss, that’s the end of the regular season and now we focus towards Ulster.
“We certainly didn’t go backwards. We haven’t lost momentum. A win there would have given us massive momentum, but the mood in the changing room at the end there was, we didn’t win, we played okay and let’s get all eyes on Ulster now.”
With Friend using the dead-rubber to rest a number of his front-liners, and then withdraw the likes of Bundee Aki and Jarrad Butler early in the second period after they had enjoyed useful work-outs, this was a relatively pleasing evening for Connacht.
No new injury concerns, coupled with the sharp performance of Kieran Marmion and the encouraging showing from Conor Dean on debut, means Connacht go into the play-offs with selection headaches and no shortage of confidence.
With their first victory over Ulster in Belfast since 1960 still fresh in the minds, the western province feel they are ‘in good shape’ as they prepare for next Saturday’s all-Irish quarter-final.
“There’s good confidence within the group, there’s a closeness and a bond amongst the players and the staff,” Friend added.
“There’s clarity around what it is we’re doing. We’ll see how we pull up on Monday but in there now, there doesn’t seem to be any serious injuries. I think we’re heading into a quarter-final week in good shape. We just have to make sure we know our detail for Ulster and then it’s about getting out there and performing.
“The important thing there, we know we can win up there. We have played them twice this year, we know we have beaten them twice this year. It is knockout football, it is another four months into the season since we last played them, they will be a different rugby side but we are a different rugby side.
“You are always looking for different mental edges if you can but we certainly know we can go up there and win because we have done that.”
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We played grand considering the game it was, thought we frustrated a Munster team looking to bully us with their selection our young pack weren’t for lying down so pleased with that. Conor Dean looked like a lad who given time will be a great fly half, Marms was sharp. Ulster are in good shape too and as its knockout rugby it will be some game and I predict a few yellow cards as well. COYBIG
I was just thinking holy crap Jim Dumps must not have set his alarm… 3 articles and no comments… but low and behold here he is on another Connacht article…
@Baz Dunne: I think it’s lovely that you’ve pretended to mute me and yet you mention me 3-4 times a day in the comments. Honestly. It’s nice having fans. It’s especially nice that I’m the first thing you think of at 6 in the morning. Some people would call you a loser for that but not me. I think it’s great to have someone to look up to.
You’re blocked Dumps how many times you need to be told?
@Baz Dunne:
You are lucky you can Block him I use a PC and they won’t let me use the block ::and I have to keep seeing him over and over and over until I have to go after him but cannot get to him so have to pass it on to his fans !!
But I was thinking where was he today ?? But he is just like a classic troll he gets to you. But this guy knows his Rugby and it is his sticking the knife in and pretending he did not mean it. Always in Leinster posts ::
Its a pity Connacht didnt get Friend last season instead of Keane, Friend has fitted right in to the team and ethos, in a way Keane never did. Connacht back to being a top team under Friend, Hcup next year will be intresting, playing good rugby, real room to develop as well. I think this Ulster team is completely different to the one Connacht beat twice early in the season, while Connacht have improved over the season, Ulster have taken massive strides. I do think Ulster will have too much for Connacht at Ravenhill and do not see a second win in 56 odd years. However its sport and if Connacht do win, I’d like them to go on and win it (Actually would prefer to see Benetton win it all, but think its unrealistic).
@Kingshu: next season is the big one. Connacht need to back up qualification this year with doing it again next season. If they can do that then they can really get to building.
Where’s mick Kearney off to? Presumably Nagle has signed full time for Ulster as well.
@Jim Demps: Who cares, he plays for Leinster?
@Paddy Kennedy: yeah he turns up with random comments in the wrong article all the time.
@Jim Demps: Nagle signed for Zebre. Not announced yet.
@RabidHorizon: nice signing by zebre. I always felt that he’s a top level lock, just needs to string a season together without injury.
@Peter Brophy: sure dumps was dragging up his Munster media agenda on the article about Finley Bealham couple days ago. Pretty inappropriate.
@Jim Demps: he hasn’t really kicked on as he should have following his move back to Leinster, I’m pretty sure around that time he’d been in some Emerging Ireland squads? Another guy who probably moved a season too early and needed consistent rugby. Then again if you do that maybe the move never materializes?
@Jim Demps: Would have liked Ulster to keep Nagle, but he would have been about 5th choice lock next season, at Zebre he will be first choice, so its a good move from a players pov. Hopefully they make a few more good signings.
@Kingshu: not so sure that he’d be first choice there. Biagi has 30 odd caps I’d say and Ortis is a super talent as well. He’s a great addition, no doubt about it though and I wouldn’t be surprised to see a few more Irish lads playing there before next season starts
@Jim Demps: would happily keep him at Ulster. In agreement with game continuity he gets better and better
@Zealot: he was dreadfully unlucky that when he broke through at munster that we had probably the 3 best locks in the country in Ryan, o Connell and o Callaghan and with mick o drick there too there just wasn’t room for him to blossom. I always thought he had it in him to be a top international but it just never worked out for the guy.
Really hoping we stop arsing around in our 22. It lead to Conways non-try and a Cardiff try recently. I know playing out of the 22 is a positive aspect to our play overall but it’s been far too casual and full of brain farts recently!