CONNACHT’S AIM THIS season is to break teams with a style of play that is “fast, relentless, adaptable.”
As such, head coach Andy Friend will have been thrilled with the manner of their comprehensive victory over the Bulls in the URC, as discussed in depth by Eoin Toolan and Murray Kinsella on today’s version of The42 Rugby Weekly Extra – an analysis podcast available to members of The42 every Monday.
Connacht found themselves trailing by seven points early in the game but recovered to blow their South African visitors away on a 34-7 scoreline, with Eoin picking out a key element of the victory for Friend’s men.
“You feared for them after the opening five minutes, the Bulls looked powerful and were getting offloads away,” said Eoin.
“They had that brilliantly-taken try and Connacht looked nervy. You think of Jack Carty getting charged down and his banana kick going out on the full, but it was a brilliant turnaround from Connacht to win emphatically.
“A key component to their win was the ball-in-play time. I noticed as I was watching just how long the sequences of play were and I’m pretty confident it would have been a strategy of Andy Friend and the coaching team to try and place that big Bulls side under physical duress by maintaining ball-in-play.
“It’s ironic because when the Bulls have teams in Loftus Versfeld at altitude, that’s their strategy – long sequences of ball-in-play time to fatigue opposition.
“But last weekend, it was the Bulls who fell into a massive hole. Ball-in-play time was 41 minutes.
“To put that in context, the South Africa v New Zealand game which is being earmarked as one of the best of all time, ball-in-play time was 32 minutes. Munster’s game against the Stormers was around 33 or 34 minutes, so that’s probably in around the average you’re getting at elite level.
“To have 41 minutes ball-in-play time was definitely a strategy for Connacht and it paid off for them.”
Eoin was impressed with the Connacht midfield, while he also highlighted the impact of scrum-half Kieran Marmion.
“Marmion was incredibly sharp and they utilised him really well in general play and off structured attack,” said Eoin.
“There was one left-hand-side scrum in the second half where he gets out and becomes a playmaker. By virtue of his speed, he gets outside the inside Bulls defence and it’s a lovely double-block play for Connacht to score.
“Their structured attacks were really sharp. The Tom Daly-Tom Farrell-Jack Carty axis proved really fruitful for them, with the first try coming off the back of that traditional 12-13 play. Farrell was really impressive. He has top-end speed but also power and skill in contact. The three of them combined again in the second half for Farrell to score.
“They played at really good speed and looked efficient in everything they did, with real accuracy and it was a big turnaround from the previous week.”
Meanwhile, Murray picked out the physicality of the Connacht performance as another key theme in this contest.
“We saw a real high in that regard,” said Murray. “I was as encouraged by their trench warfare as anything. There was a two-minute defensive set coming towards the quarter mark in the Connacht 22 when they eventually forced Johann Goosen to kick a bomb that Mack Hansen could mark pretty easily.
“Connacht had numbers on feet and really good hold/fold decisions around whether they were going to fold around the corner or had their eyes up picking out numbers in the attacking line.
“They were really aggressive and had good linespeed when they had numbers there. The technical quality of the tackles as well, the acceleration into the hits, and I thought Finlay Bealham stood out in that regard. He was really hurting Bulls ball-carriers and it almost took them by surprise.
“Jordan Duggan stood up there as well, which is really encouraging for Connacht given Denis Buckley is going to be sidelined for another few months.
“That, as much as anything, was encouraging and even if you look at the first try, it comes from a big maul success. I don’t think the Bulls expected that.”
Today’s podcast also saw Eoin and Murray discussing wins for Munster, Ulster, and Leinster, as well as breaking down the brilliant game between the Springboks and the All Blacks in the Rugby Championship.
Both of the lads picked Connacht men as their players of the week, while the ‘play of the week’ award went to a classy Wallabies try.
You can sign up as a member of The42 here in order to listen to the extra rugby podcasts and a wide range of other shows on sportswriting, football, GAA, and coaching, as well as getting weekly newsletters and access to our lively member-only Whatsapp groups.
ALL top players get targeted, whether you like it or not it’s part of the game. 99% of those get on with it,hold their nerve and get on with it, like it or lump that’s how it goes. Those saying he shouldn’t be subjected to it are obviously turning a blind eye to Philly and Johnny. Can’t put your hand on an official like that.
I’m a Dub and i must admit i’m sick of Connolly’s temper tantrums and spoiled child antics.He’s acting the maggot for quite a long time at this stage.
While blessed with a natural talent i don’t even believe he deserves the credit he gets at times.The talk of one of the greats is hogwash.The greats dont act the eejit like he does and let his fellow team mates down with such regularity.How many games has he dominated anyway?I dont remember him consistently performing to a high standard in many if any All Ireland semi or final?A fleeting moment of brilluance here or there is his lot.
Diarmuid go away and have a think about your crazy ways.Take your suspension on the chin and relect.You have very little between the ears my friend.As crazy as it sounds,you are a liability and we maybe better off without you.
A great football but proven tug, even take out his on the pitch antics he was lucky not to do time for beating a person up.
12 weeks ban. End off. Now stop talking about it. You would think he nearly killed him the way he is being talked about
@Shaun Gallagher: you are the perfect embodiment of what’s wrong with the GAA when it comes to referees. Swear at a referee and you should be sent off. Touch one and you should expect to have your season ended. People should be jumping up and down about this, not moving on as you call it.
Why does Jim Gavin keep picking him when Connolly let’s him and Dublin down again and again. Connolly may be arguably the best player in the country but it’s going to cost Dublin big time some day when he inevitably gets himself sent off in a big game against Mayo or Kerry. It’s not like Dublin don’t have talented players to play in his place
@Declan Clancy: maybe Connolly pointed his finger in Gavins face and threatened him as well!!!
Spillane is a gob-shiite. Always was – always will be.
@Carl Ingalls: perhaps so. Doesn’t mean he’s not correct here, though. Connolly clearly has a serious attitude problem and maybe the lengthy suspension he’ll probably face here might finally make a difference to him. Either that, or management decide he’s a liability that can’t be risked any more. One way or the other, even the most blinkered Dubs fan has to realise that Connolly can’t continue in the same way.
@Carl Ingalls: and Diarmuid Connolly is thug. Always was – always will be.
@Carl Ingalls: And Connolly is a thug. Always was – always will be.
@Jumperoo:
He’s using his position as public pundit to orchestrate a smear campaign against the Dubs with a view to smoothing the path for his beloved Kirree.
@Carl Ingalls: not at all this is aimed at Connolly not the Dubs.. and he is right you cannot touch the refs simple
@Carl Ingalls: maybe Spillane is a gob-shite but Connelly still deserves a 12 week ban same as the Tipp goalkeeper got for minimal contact.
Connolly is a problem. Management can solve it…week, poor & indecisive management team.
@Quad Quad: Weak and poor management team?? Haha I think the over flowing trophy cabinet says otherwise.
@Ciara Baines: good management isn’t all about silverware. Put any of the so called good managers in charge of the likes of Leitrim or Longford and see how good they turn out to be. Easy to be good managers when some club teams in Dublin have more senior players than whole counties.
That aside what has Dub management done to deal with persistent indiscipline from Connolly.
Tipp hurling manager had a discipline issue with top player and cut him from panel immediately.
Touch an official and it should be a minimum 6 months not three. That should be a season ender for him, he’ll likely be free for the all Ireland final which is a joke.
The GAA are a laughing stock the way they treat their referees. Players have no respect for them and never will till the suspensions get serious.
Pat Spillane and Colm o Rourke were far too enthusiastic last night in trying to make sure Connolly gets a lenthly ban I wonder why? was their selfish reasons involved? Surely not:-):-) But these two pillars of nobility would do well to remember if you prod a bear too often the bear might put better players on the field than Diarmuid Connolly and end up giving you a right hammering.
Saturday evening it looks like Johnny Cooper got Brendan Murphy the Carlow midfielder sent off by mouthing.
Connolly should change codes, players get generally better protection by match officials in Hurling harder to target and wind up quality players
@Ciarán: wow. You clearly know very little about hurling.
@Jumperoo: Played it for 18 years and counting please tell me more about my experience with the game
@Ciarán: played both codes myself, into my 40s. Played inter county in one of them. In my experience, no difference in the amount of ‘protection’ in one over the other. Maybe your experience is different.
Four months of this shite now.
@Colm Buckley: clown