SUCCESSFUL CHIEFS SKIPPER Craig Clarke has been asked to captain Connacht on an ongoing basis as Pat Lam tries to end a wretched run which has seen them lose nine of their 11 games this season.
New coach Lam appointed three skippers at the outset of the season but while Michael Swift, John Muldoon and Gavin Duffy will continue to lead off the field, 30-year old Clarke has been asked to take command on the park.
Connacht have lost their last eight PRO12 matches and their only two victories this season have come against a Zebre side who lost every game last season.
Now Connacht face the daunting task of taking on four-time Heineken Cup champions Toulouse in their own backyard on Sunday before the French arrive in the Sportsground the following Saturday.
Connacht drafted in Clarke on a three-year contract following Mike McCarthy’s controversial move to Leinster and the Kiwi signed off on his Chief’s’ career by leading them to the Super 15 title for the second year in a row.
Now the double winning skipper has been asked to take the lead for Connacht on the field with Clarke leading them out in their last two games against Scarlets and Edinburgh even though some of the three appointed captains were on the field.
Lam said that Clarke would now take the lead on matchday on an ongoing basis.
“I think you’ll find that Swifty, Mul and Gavin are doing a tremendous job off the field in running everything too. And on the field too. I think Craig has the most experience of matchday captaincy so he is very much part of the leadership on the field and on game days at the moment.
“He’s the leading contender on the day on the field because he has had ultimate success there. I think for this period of time too, he took time to get to know everyone and I think the boys to know him more importantly, and the respect from the other three guys too,” said Lam.
The Connacht said that having such an experienced player on board was a bid addition heading to somewhere like Toulouse.
“He is a very good leader and player and he has a load of experience in these sort of games on and off the field,” added Lam.
Mad to think Denmark scored more in the Aviva than South Africa in the rugby
Though there were mistakes throughout by management, anyone who thinks the solution is to bring in a new messiah and to try and play attacking football is not looking deep enough. Of any of the fifty or so possible starters for an Irish team, the only one who could play that style is arter.
Dublin has a much lower population of GAA players than soccer, yet produces Diarmuid Connolly and Ciarain Kilkenny, both players who are wonderful passers of a football, with vision and attacking creativity. Soccer in Dublin produces no such players.
Irish soccer needs an overhaul similar to the one Belgium had in 2000, Spain had in 94, and Germany had in 2002. The style has to change from the age of six. Otherwise, it’s a long freewheel downhill from here
@Chucky Arlaw: the FAI have an awful lot to answer for. Useless
@Chucky Arlaw: are u saying the only player in the panel capable of playing good football is Arter?? Is that correct or have I misunderstood something?
So if McCleans shot goes in and the dynamics of the game change, and we hold on for an hour, we have no such problems in our game anymore? Give it a rest you bore it’s one game we got smashed cos of 2 sloppy goals in 3 minutes which was effectively the game ender. Put the fossil brush and magnifying glass away you pretentious aul eejit.
The North were brave when they appointed Micheal O’Neil and were rewarded. A league of Ireland manager who was progressive, on an upward curve in his career not winding his career down.
Why not take a punt on Stephen Kenny, he’s shown that he can coach players of a certain standard to perform well past expectation and win games against teams with vast superior resources.
The lack of preperation and lack of belief in the players ability means its time for a change at the helm. Would give anything to see Chris Hughton given a go
The north and south join up now stop this silly politics
@Aidan O: pour one bucket of muck into another bucket of muck, you just end up with a big bucket of muck.
@Aidan O: We already have players from the North; Duffy, McLean, O’Kane etc
European championship failure!
Not to worry. We still have John Delaney.
More failure on other international stages.