Connacht Team Talk Thread VI - Some like it TOH

ShineyShiney

Thought blade played well until his injury. Buckley, DTM and especially Bealham were really good.

Murphy was decent again, I prefer him at 6 but a good shift.

Boyles physicality was much improved and butler also added significantly.

Problems at 10,12,13 we need to stick with Daly and Farrell and let them develop a partnership now with bundi gone for the foreseeable.

My team for the weekend

Dooley Heff Bealham

Thornberry Dowling

Murphy Boyle Butler

Marmian Carty

Daly Farrell

Mack Roylston

Porch

SqueakyKneecap

Got the pleasure of experiencing the Connacht social media brainstrust break a man's soul a few minutes ago.

They tweeted about a big announcement this morning coming at 10am. My colleague was already imagining what new addition we've signed to help improve the poor run of results. Surely a break glass signing situation.

Turns out all they were hyping was the usual temporary terracing for the interpros. He's absolutely bulling across the office.

tobdom

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119670044#Comment_119670044

Don't forget their big announcement about the October interpro ticket special...... Get a ticket for the College rd. terrace for both the Munster and Leinster matches for just €62! That's a saving of a whopping........ (checks notes)........ TWO EURO!

Shooting ourselves in the foot has leached off the pitch to the wider organisation.

FACECUTTR

I know they were in the process of hiring someone a few months back. I was expecting the social media content to improve drastically but it looks like Wilkins is in charge of that too.......

phog

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119643087#Comment_119643087

Farrell and coaches dont see 1 ireland A game occassionally as good enough. We dont have them regularly enough.

Farrell isn't even going on the tour and it's on the IRFU that we don't have more regular A games. I'd say with a tiny bit of planning we could have midweek A games during the Autumn and Summer internationals

Zeugnis

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119663881#Comment_119663881

This is great for Forde, he's exactly the sort of player who should benefit from this experience. It's early days but my belief is that we will finish in the bottom half of the URC table and there will be no return to HEC. If that is correct then this season is best used to develop the recent Academy graduates, Chay Mullins, etc.

I wonder if the search for a TH continues, or did the re-signing of DRMC take that off the table?

Bundee's last suspension was for four weeks, my guess is he'll get eight this time. In such instances is the sanction consdiered to start from the day of the infringement or that of the citing committee decision?

SqueakyKneecap

Bundee will get way more than 8 weeks especially after his stupidity afterwards. 12 weeks is probably well within the penalisable range.

Former Former Former

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119670508#Comment_119670508

My bet is six weeks for the offence, two weeks for the abuse of the ref, two weeks reduction for his post-match remorse = net ban 6 weeks.

Wegians89

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119670553#Comment_119670553

Post match remorse? Maybe that’s okay the last time or two. Don’t think he’ll get to pull that card again

stephen_n

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119670678#Comment_119670678

He’ll pull it, they’ll let it play. Can’t think of any incidence where they didn’t take it in to account. No matter how hollow it was.

SqueakyKneecap

Would the injury length suffered by the Stormers play come into play? Saw somewhere he could be out for 6 momths.

nigeldaniel

I do sympathise with Bundee myself, no one else does but do. It's not as though he is the only one who tackles like that.

the reaction after was done out of his frustration.

AccidentallyOnside

A lot of the Bundee stuff on social media and in the press has a real whiff of racism about it.

Guilty of a bad clear out and of playing whilst Polynesian.

SqueakyKneecap

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119671040#Comment_119671040

Could you link to some of this? Most criticism I've seen online is about his reaction to the red card and how he has priors with dangerous tackles. In a day and age where referees in other sports are hospitalised in this country it's something we need to clamp down on, even in sports like union where referees are treated with a lot more respect.

b.gud

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119670950#Comment_119670950

Nope Darcy Swain recently only got a 6 week ban for a dangerous clearout that ruptured Quinn Tupaea’s medial cruciate ligament in his left knee and will have him out of action for at least 3 months https://www.the42.ie/darcy-swain-ban-5873033-Sep2022/

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119670678#Comment_119670678

While I agree this should be the case there are countless examples of repeat offenders getting time off their ban for remorse etc. Thomas Lavinini, aka the most carded man in rugby history, got 2 weeks off for “expression of remorse, his conduct at the hearing, and the fact that he has been taking active steps to ensure that his on-field aggression was appropriately controlled, the committee reduced the sanction by two weeks.” in December for a hit on Cian Healy during the AIs, this was his 3rd red card in international rugby

Wegians89

Has Bundee even publicly apologised? Haven’t seen any Tweets or anything but might have missed it

AdamD

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119671040#Comment_119671040

And abusing the ref? Nothing racist about it. He's put a guy out of action for 4-6 months with illegal play then had a go at the ref and wouldn't leave the field.

AccidentallyOnside

There's plenty of stuff calling him a thug and a disgrace that you would not see if his name was Sean O'brien or if his skin was just a little lighter.

He had a genuine point about the red: the jackler is in an illegal position that the ref is not going to penalise and he has basically 0 space to affect the clear out, unless you want him to crocodile roll him? That said he should not have spoken to the ref the way he did and the clear out is a red and he will get a ban for it. Not disputing any of that.

Incidentally I saw Steve Borthwick enter the field to abuse an official and refuse to leave the pitch against Connacht last year.....not one word in the press about it after.....odd that.

stephen_n

I’m wondering if Aki attacked someone with an axe on the pitch. Would we see people come along and say he’s only being criticized out of racism. I’m guessing we probably would to be honest.

AccidentallyOnside

Not the sort of thing I'd wonder about Stephen.

I find dealing with reality taxing enough without introducing the ravings of the deluded.

stephen_n

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119677550#Comment_119677550

You mean your post above?

Wegians89

Team for the weekend?

Dooley Heffernan Bealham Fifita Thornbury Murphy Oliver SHL

Marmion Carty Porch Daly Farrell Ralston Hansen

Stewart Buckley Auinger Murray Butler Reilly Hawkshaw Boyle

With bundees suspension and how rough a game mcnulty had I think an 8-2 split could be used this week

CIARAN_BOYLE

Any word when Aki's disciplinary hearing is?

I saw Henning (head of referees for the URC) speaking to the papers yesterday basically calling for an extended suspension for dissent and making it a general policy for referees to crack down on dissent.

Former Former Former

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119678166#Comment_119678166

Presume it's tomorrow. Not sure why but URC don't announce hearings until after they're finished, and only then if the accused is actually found guilty.

Surely Aki has no choice but to plead guilty and go hard on the "good conduct, nice suit" approach.

CIARAN_BOYLE

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119678217#Comment_119678217

Problem is that he doesn't really have much good conduct on his side.

3 career reds, a citing, (all for high tackles) 5 career yellows and a citing commissioners warning for dissent in January 2022.

I think Connacht could do with the hearing being done with and the ban announced so they can figure out how long they need to plan without Aki.

Wegians89

What is the depth chart looking like at centre now? Bundee likely out for 8-12 weeks. Bolton out til December if I can remember correctly. Leaves:

12 : Daly, Forde , Hawkshaw (more a 10?)

13 :Farrell, Ralston, Jennings

Hopefully Forde comes back from the emerging squad tour with a bit of confidence and good form.

BrokenMan

I think Daly and Farrell need to be given an extended run together to see if they gel.

Taking Bundee out of the equation I think they are the strongest option. Forde getting squad time once he returns.

Bundee is still out best option but we will unfortunately be seeing less of him this season and going forward.

KBurke85

Team named https://www.connachtrugby.ie/seven-changes-for-bkt-urc-meeting-with-vodacom-bulls/

6-2 split on bench

Jack still not fully available for selection.

Stewart and Booth could make their debuts off the bench

CONNACHT RUGBY MATCHDAY SQUAD VS VODACOM BULLS

Friday 30th September 2022, 17:30 Irish time / 18:30 South Africa time @ Loftus Versfeld Stadium

Number/Name/Caps ( * denotes uncapped)

15. Oran McNulty (10)

14. John Porch (61)

13. Tom Farrell (81)

12. Tom Daly (62)

11. Mack Hansen (15)

10. David Hawkshaw (2)

9. Kieran Marmion (211)

1. Denis Buckley (210)

2. Dave Heffernan (167)

3. Finlay Bealham (175)

4. Leva Fifita (16)

5. Oisín Dowling (26)

6. Josh Murphy (2)

7. Conor Oliver(42)

8. Jarrad Butler (96) (C)

16. Grant Stewart *

17. Peter Dooley (2)

18. Jack Aungier (33)

19. Gavin Thornbury (64)

20. Shamus Hurley-Langton (2)

21. Colm Reilly (9)

22. Byron Ralston (2)

23. Ciarán Booth *

ClanofLams

One of the few positives of last weekend, Dylan Tierney-Martin not available and not in the 23 for Emerging Ireland.

Wegians89

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119680078#Comment_119680078

Presume this is more to do with him not being in camp with the Irish squad in the build up to the tour, same for prendergast and illo