THE BIG CHALLENGE for Connacht, according to their boss, is to become “better professionals.”
Andy Friend’s strong words came in the wake of Friday evening’s Champions Cup hammering at the hands of Leinster, a defeat that ensures Connacht’s season is simply petering out.
It will take a miracle for the westerners to feature in the United Rugby Championship play-offs with three regular-season games remaining, although they left on their two-game tour to South Africa yesterday determined to restore some pride against the Lions and Sharks.
Friend said he had seen signs of improvement in his players’ daily and weekly approach to being professionals over the past fortnight, but there is still plenty of work ahead, as captain Jack Carty admitted.
“Friendy alluded to it,” said Carty, “there has definitely been a change in the last two weeks in terms of prep and how fellas went about it.
“I think if we potentially had that for a longer sustained period of time, that would be a big thing moving forward for us.
“I suppose when Leinster get scores, we have conversations under the sticks but it’s all well and good having conversations underneath the sticks, we need to act on that.
“Look, we restarted, they kicked back to us and we turn over. We gave them too easy access and that’s probably the main thing for us.
“We do something poor and then we back it up with a poor action, whereas the top teams cut it there. You never see… even the Irish national team, you never see them go bad to bad to bad.
“You might see bad to bad but they cut it there. Usually, if you end up having three bads back-to-back, you’ll end up underneath your own sticks and I think that’s something we unfortunately had on too many occasions.”
Carty is hopeful that Connacht’s more experienced players can lead the charge in terms of driving standards to a higher level.
Again, he insists he has seen signs of that already.
“When you have a couple of lads away with the international team, you have seen them really step forward in terms of Mack [Hansen], Finlay [Bealham] and Bundee [Aki],” said Carty.
“They have really grabbed certain fellas in their positions. Mack or Finlay have a couple of young fellas in their position and they have taken them under their wing.
“I suppose the last two weeks have been a tough learning curve for the front rows but I don’t think they will come up against a tougher front row opposition.”
The new arrivals this summer should help improve the quality of Connacht’s squad, with Josh Murphy, Adam Byrne, Peter Dooley and David Hawkshaw joining from Leinster, Byron Ralston arriving from Australia, and Shamus Hurley-Langton coming in from New Zealand.
You can’t escape the feeling that Friend would like a couple more on top of that, but he said there will only be one other new signing ahead of next season.
“We are hopefully waiting on one more,” said Friend. “But it is enough, I am actually really happy with our squad. That was our message to our boys.
“We have got the talent. We just have to make sure we nurture the talent individually. That’s on us as coaches but also as players. It’s on them to nurture their own talent and make sure they are delivering and getting the best out of themselves.
“At the end of the day, that does rest with me. If it’s not right then I need to take a look at what I’m doing. So that’s my big focus.”
While Connacht look almost certain to be playing in the Challenge Cup next season, rather than the Champions Cup, and are unlikely to feature in the URC play-offs, there have been some positive things to come out of this season.
A few younger players have emerged forcefully, none more so than back row Cian Prendergast, while Carty has taken over as the match-day captain of the team.
He has enjoyed the job but admits that being the skipper makes days like last Friday all the harder.
“It’s been tough over the last couple of weeks. You take the losses a bit more personally when you’re leading the lads.
“But, yeah, definitely, as captain you kinda have to wear it. It’s definitely tougher.”
Connacht’s 28-man squad on South Africa tour:
Forwards:
Jack Aungier
Finlay Bealham
Paul Boyle
Denis Buckley
Jarrad Butler
Oisín Dowling
Jordan Duggan
Leva Fifita
Dave Heffernan
Greg McGrath
Jonny Murphy
Niall Murray
Conor Oliver
Cian Prendergast
Gavin Thornbury
Dylan Tierney-Martin
Backs:
Bundee Aki
Caolin Blade
Shayne Bolton
Jack Carty
Tom Daly
Tom Farrell
Conor Fitzgerald
Mack Hansen
Kieran Marmion
Tiernan O’Halloran
John Porch
Alex Wootton
Definitely need more power in the pack
@Blindside: looking at the URC website stats it has connacht as the worst discipline record. That’s something they need to sort out.
For example the 3 recent cards v leinster were due to high hits and all 3 players didn’t have the ball when hit.
@Blindside: Dooley and especially Murphy will help there.
Connacht Rugby currently has 1 Central Contract.
CTs allow teams to in effect have the best international players for free allowing them to free up huge resources elsewhere.
It’s not good for development outside Leinster Rugby if 15 IRFU contracted Ireland players are also all LR players & so LR can easily afford to recruit 15 other internationals
Perhaps a system where the 4 teams can only be in receipt of a capped level of CC funding with the excess being equally divided between the other 3 teams.
Connacht have made some great less well known signings in Hansen, Bealham, Marmion but we have yet to see established top tier internationals transfers like Carberry to Munster or a number to Ulster or a Vermeulen.
We have seen them the other way in Henshaw & Cronin from Connacht.
@Mentis Green: so punish leinster rugby for developing players to international standard?
As for recruiting 15 international players, leinster recruit the least amount of players from any of the 4 Irish teams. Infact they produce a surplus that other 3 all avail of.
As for the cap on internal funding you suggest that players who are not good enough to get central contracts just because they don’t play for leinster.
You talk about developing players but in reality apart from leinster no other side is developing international players. The only first choice Irish players developed by any of the 3 other academies are henshaw and henderson, the first choice Irish side apart from the over seas players are all products of the leinster academy
@Chris Mc: Not about punishing
I never mentioned amount, it’s about quality.
A Dan Carter, Felipe contepomi, Rocky Elsom is worth 100 tier C players, such a high level recruits also brings a wealth of experience & knowledge that they pass on & instill in their new clubs.
A huge list of established top tier internationals in their prime LR have signed over the years & coaches they all helped immensely in make LR a success.
Connacht have not made 1 top tier international in their prime signing either within Ireland or from abroad. LR also have huge advantages in number of schools etc.
The Leinster academy is brilliant but we need to strive for 4 Leinster like academies & not make the divide grow.
Won’t be popular with LR fans but I think its best for Ireland Rugby & URC league.
@Chris Mc: a bit convenient that you fail to mention that the majority of youngsters that come into the Academy are from private schools where in fairness to the schools they received top class coaching. These private schools coaching sets them up with S&C and dietary schedules which unfortunately very few public school or club players receive. Straightaway these players in terms of fitness and reading of the game are 2 steps ahead of everyone else. Yes the Leinster Academy is continuing to aid the development and must be applauded but the difference in starting points in each Academy is totally miles apart.
@Mark Sheehan: private schools are in all provinces and apart from Blackrock and St Michaels no other schools are producing ready made 19 year olds. These players are moulded in the academy.
The club game is leinster is producing players of great quality, leinsters 2 back up centres are both club players Frawley and osbourne.
Leinster rugby reach out through the clubs to thousands of children each week to promote the game, some go on to schools most play with their clubs.
@Mentis Green: ur in the wrong place for a reasoned conversation dude
@Chris Mc: while obviously it would be unfair to a degree on Leinster, its already unfair on the others to give them an additional advantage on top of the in built advantages ye already have, in relation to population and facilities. Leinster obviously have way more fee paying schools, we’ve only one in Connacht to my knowledge, and Munster wouldn’t have a huge pile either. There are great set ups in Leinster, but it’s not total incompetence that we don’t have them, it just isn’t possible, where rugby is more of a minority sport, and we’ve one fifth of the population, and have less funding. Leinster do great things, but it’s a bit delusional to think that’s even possible for a province like Connacht.
@Chris Mc:
There is only one private school in the whole of Connacht and that is in Sligo and has only 100 boarders in total…
Simply put Caelan Doris would have played Connacht if there was no private bordering schools… that doesn’t mean Leinster should be punished but it has to be accepted if you are a very promising Rugby Player in Connacht there is a lure to goto Dublin. These schools offer great coaching and Irish Rugby is all the better for that…
I would be more interested in players like Alex Soroka, He has played 7 min of Rugby this season. This while Connacht has been screaming for backrow help… How does this help Irish rugby?
@Cowboy Paddy: theres nothing stopping any of the other 3 academies offering any player a place. Did connacht offer Doris a contract? Going to school in leinster does not restrict a player to signing for leinster.
4 maybe 5 players from the schools are signed to leinsters academy each year, there are literally 100′s of other players coming through the same coaching set up in these schools how many are offered contracts at the other academies.
…that was nothing approaching a contest on Friday….how can 2 games with near enough the same teams be so different?
@Michael Murray: psychology.
@Michael Murray: Think that was more got to do with Leinster then connacht.
Leinster seemed have to go to Galway and keep the scores close enough. And turn on the afterburners in Dublin.
Hate saying it, they are some team .
30/45mins w/kicking Tee each session or an international kicker brought in