CONNACHT ARE DETERMINED to iron out the issues which saw them miss out on the URC playoffs last season, and while some familiar problems were again evident in Saturday’s 35-33 defeat to Munster, Pete Wilkins’ side produced some wonderful attacking rugby as they ran in four tries at Thomond Park.
That much of their best attacking play came from a pair of new faces will be highly encouraging for Wilkins. The Connacht head coach handed competitive debuts to scrum-half Ben Murphy and out-half Josh Ioane, and the two halfbacks hit the ground running in their new colours.
Murphy, 23, joined from Leinster over the summer while Ioane, 29, arrived from Super Rugby side the Chiefs.
And going straight into the starting team on the opening weekend, Murphy did a fine job of directing Connacht’s play and putting his teammates into space, while Ioane looked sharp and full of invention at 10, with both players taking full advantage of the gaps that opened in the Munster defence.
Attack coach Mark Sexton also deserves credit for how Connacht approached the game, with the players backing their decision-making and skillset throughout.
After enjoying some good spells of possession in the early stages, Connacht struck for the game’s opening try on 14 minutes, the score created by Murphy and finished by Ioane.
It’s superb work by Murphy, who steps around Craig Casey and then puts his body on the line by delaying the pass out wide to Shayne Bolton, which he measures beautifully, shipping a big hit from Mike Haley for his troubles.
Bolton then makes the right decision in offloading inside to Ioane, who gets the reward for running a nice support line.
Ioane misses the conversion but it’s a great start to the game from Connacht’s new men.
And the two debutants were also central to Connacht’s second try, which came via a slick attacking shape off lineout.
Moving the ball quickly through the hands, Cian Prendergast and Mack Hansen both have quality involvements before Ioane just about manages to releases the ball under pressure from Haley. Connacht fullback Santiago Cordero was perhaps the intended target, but the ball pops loose out the back and Murphy is on hands to take possession and score.
There was a TMO check for a knock-on, but replays show Ioane’s pass went backwards, with Murphy showing quick reactions to pounce.
Connacht then added a brilliant third try towards the end of the first half, the score coming with the visitors down to 14 men following Cordero’s yellow card.
After Hansen rises to claim a high ball, Connacht quickly move into their attacking shape, Josh Murphy making a big carry before Connacht get quick ball to set Ioane racing through a gap, with Ben Murphy making the support run to score his second try.
Connacht make it look simple, but there’s a series of smart decisions made to create the score. The quick ruck ball is key, but Ioane also does well to lure Billy Burns in before timing his pass to Murphy perfectly.
With Ioane nursing a knock from his collision with Burns, Cathal Forde knocks over the conversion to leave Connacht 19-14 up after a highly impressive first-half performance.
The pair weren’t quite as influential after the break but still enjoyed plenty of bright moments.
Ioane was involved in a lovely team move which saw David Hawkshaw cross for Connacht’s bonus-point try, linking up with Forde and David Heffernan to release Hawkshaw, with Murphy again positioned as a good support option as Hawkshaw sliced through to score.
Murphy was replaced by Caolin Blade in the 63rd minute, and left the field having made a very strong impression on his first competitive outing for his new province.
Ioane went the full 80 and added more deft touches with ball in hand, but will have been disappointed with failing to find touch with a late kick to the corner.
Moments later, he attempted a chip over the top for Hansen, a nice idea which didn’t work out thanks to a defensive good read from Craig Casey.
It proved to be Connacht’s last chance with the ball as Munster claimed a hard-earned two-point win.
Wilkins was frustrated to see his side leave Thomond Park on the losing side despite scoring four tries, but he was encouraged by the promising start from his new halfbacks.
“Ben was terrific,” said Wilkins. “His passing and kicking game is up there with anyone that we’ve been involved with in terms of the core skills of a nine.
“He was able to demonstrate all the qualities that we’d seen from the minute he stepped into pre-season 10 weeks ago now. He’s got one of the best passing and kicking games going, in terms of the core skills, and he’s incredibly fit which means he can facilitate us playing fast. And he’s a brave defender.
“So I was delighted for him to not just show what he can do, but also to do it in an area like this on the first day of the season in a huge interpro. Full credit to him in terms of how he handled that mentally as well as the skillset he displayed.
For Josh Ioane, really pleased with him. I thought he had some fantastic touches on the ball and he was involved in some of the really big moments for us during the game.”
Murphy and Ioane stood out but were part of an impressive team performance. Josh Murphy was highly physical on his return from a year out to complete his studies, captain Cian Prendergast helped link up the play nicely on a number of occasions, Cathal Forde looked sharp at centre and David Hawkshaw made a positive impact of the bench.
Defensive issues which cost Connacht dearly last year crept into their game, but the province certainly have the potential to be an exciting watch as they look to improve on last season’s disappointing 11th-place finish.
“I think when everyone saw the team announcement and saw that backline we were putting out there [you could see the potential],” Wilkins added.
“And we’ve still got a couple of guys missing, and one big guy in particular in the number 12 jersey [Bundee Aki] who’s got to try and get that back off Cathal Forde, who I thought was fantastic.
“That excitement has to be backed up by the work that Cian [Prendergast] and his fellow forwards do and it will be no different against the Sharks [on Saturday].
“As good as we might look on paper, it’s the abrasiveness, the physicality, the energy and the relentlessness around the setpiece and around the contact areas of the game that give these guys a platform to play, and full credit to these guys [the forwards], led by Cian.
“I thought Josh Murphy was outstanding as well, and that’s the platform that allows these players [backs] to play.”
