Connacht Team Talk Thread VI - Some like it TOH

clsmooth

Prendergast has been superb tonight. Not sure anyone else put their hand up.

StevenToast

Its refreshing to see a French team travelling away and give a good account of themselves in the European Cup.

Connacht coaching staff under scrutiny now...all of them...

clsmooth

I would be interested to see Smiths horizontal to vertical metres run tonight. Evasive runner but seems to be forever running across the pitch.

Utopia Parkway

That’s the worst beating Connacht have taken in ages. I know they got hammered by the Bulls down in SA but that was away from home and Connacht scored almost 30 points themselves. They were just hopeless tonight.

pappyodaniel

I wonder how many of these badboys Ben Tameifuna could manage?

Utopia Parkway

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121473028#Comment_121473028

Runs more sideways and backwards than forward.

cson

Those will go damn close to winning it this year if they play like that every game.

Even our accuracy had been 100% they'd still have beaten us, just another level.

You don't tend to see that from French sides away from home in Europe, maybe the Rog effect is spreading in the Top 14.

eagle eye

Any team can have a bad day. I wouldn't be giving up on them yet.

It was god awful tonight bu look at the whole team. Only Prendergast showed up, Bundee was poor, Bealham had a awful game in the first half. Losing Mack didn't help either.

Gotta get up again and get going. All it takes is one good performance to get the confidence back up.

It'll be very difficult in the Champions Cup with three tough away games.

ClanofLams

There were so many issues tonight that singling out one player is a bit daft really but Hanrahan is a reliable goal kicker, the rest of his game isn’t within a mile of Carty.

Without Mack to create look very poor going forward. Carty offers creativity that is totally lacking in his & Mack’s absence.

Utopia Parkway

Had they not blown the Leinster game this result while bad would have been less painful. The two of them together is not good.

Wegians89

Saracens will have a day less recovery and be making the journey back from SA. That could really disrupt their prep for next week.

eagle eye

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121473057#Comment_121473057

Wait until you see Racing Metro this weekend.

ElisaAtWar

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121472826#Comment_121472826

And shock horror but Bundee was invisible again. I don't really blame Bundee in truth. I did start the Connacht vs Leinster game thread suggesting I have huge reservations about our 9 and 10 and they continue to prove me right.

So we have two choices. Start Forde at 10 and use maybe Bundee with Tom Farrell outside him. And use anybody other than Caolin. And let's see.

Because we know what the current setup offers

testtech05

Anyone care to inform me when we last took such a beating at home? Seems like a long time ago to me anyway.....

Utopia Parkway

In mitigation Connacht have a budget of 5 to 6 million or so. Bordeaux’s is probably close to 30. Especially after shelling out for Penaud. Two teams operating in different markets. That said Connacht have closed that gap in one off games before but definitely not tonight.

GBXI

I thought Connacht were absolutely pathetic tonight. The coaching was poor - given the wind and the power of the opposition you have to move them around and they barely kicked the ball once. That brings me to Hanrahan, Christ. Whose idea was it to bring him to Connacht. No aggression, no pace, average passer. Carty is miles better than him. Overall, the lack of fight (bar Prendergast and Blade) is a complete indictment on the coaching staff. As professional players, they should issue an apology it was that bad.

Digifriendly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121473083#Comment_121473083

Connacht facing another pasting no matter the day less for Saracens. Connacht need to focus on URC.

Treaty fella

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121473119#Comment_121473119

5-6 of the starting pack was second string plus Moefana and Bialle-Biarrey.

Donnacha O’Callaghan hit the nail on the head at HT.

Saw those type of performances from Hanrahan before when the pressure comes on

Utopia Parkway

JJ’s goal kicking is definitely better than Carty’s but he’s probably worse at everything else. Both flawed in different ways.

AccidentallyOnside

Well that was sobering.

Whilst we were bad, particularly when chasing the game, simply sorting out our line out the score is a lot more respectable. That needs to be priority 1, we'll win very few games against bad teams, let alone good ones, if we don't.

Don't want to overlook how good UBB were though, that's the best team we've played in a long while.

Calling out JJ after that game is very very harsh, no 10 in the world can conjure magic when his forwards are being beaten up that badly.

Borders no.2

Embarrassing performance. Full credit to Bordeuax-Begles that was an impressive away performance but from our perspective that was shambolic. No cohesion in attack and once again we get cut open with ease.

The way we threw in the towel so easily was the worst part. I thought the fightback from bad positions against ulster and leinster at least indicated that for all our limitations this management team might put a bit more steel in the team but evidently not.

We worked so hard at the tail end of last season to get into this competition and after one game our hopes are effectively over. Hard to see how we finish in top 4 in the group. 5th even is unlikely unless one team throws the towel in.

Hugely disappointing and we need to jmprove quickly or the next 5 or 6 weeks could get very nasty.

ElisaAtWar

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121473200#Comment_121473200

That is so true. And here is an important point. Neither have the potential to lead Connacht to anything other than disappointment. So let's switch it up a bit. Let's try Forde at 10.

As for Bundee. He simply isn't engaged. It's not his fight and that is such a shame.

Treaty fella

A mate of mine was at the game and said that they played the challenge cup theme song instead of the champions cup prior to the game seems quite fitting now

GBXI

It's not about either of them being the answer. Connacht identified that Carty wasn't going to take them forward and proceeded to go and get an out half during the off season that is worse than Carty. He lacks aggression, pace, and passing ability, kicking from hand is not good either.

Regarding Bundee, this has nothing to the with him. He has carried that team on his back so many times, he has a lot of credit in the bank. Byron Ralstom? Like there has to be better academy players in Connacht. They'd surely bring some fight.

The lack of fight is the biggest indictment of the coaching staff and it's hard to see them recovery from this. The way they lost to Leinster's B team was symptomatic of a team in dire need of confidence.

Wegians89

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121473342#Comment_121473342

Ralston has had a very good start to the year. I wouldn’t be singling him out. Saw him compared to Fergus McFadden before and think It’s a good comparison.

You’re down the first two options at 15 in Cordero and TOH, so Mack slotted in there, Kilgallen is probably first choice winger now with Mack, but he has played a lot this year so rotation is natural.

What has happened to DTM, don’t think he has started since the Ulster game? He’s easily the best option at hooker in my opinion. Similarly what’s the story with Farrell? I’d he injured?

dockysher

Not looking forward to next few Games now, Munster at home will destroy us as well if bring half decent team.

As mentioned last week, team has being going backwards for years now and nothing changes.

Still very unprofessional to lose by such a margin at home at close to full strength, no matter how good Bordeaux are.

Lot of new fans who came to both or either of last two games, won't be back at a Connacht game again anytime soon unfortunately.

GBXI

Ah now, I saw a lot of McFadden during his career and Ralston has none of his aggression, whatever about any other similarities. On bad days the players with the most class and character stand out even more. Prendergast never stopped going, he has character. John Porch is a fighter, and he has pace. Hansen is world class. But so many players are playing within themselves - Finlay, Heffernan, and Murray today.

Where was Kilgallon, Tom Farrell (who has exactly what it takes), and Thornbury?

Tommybojangles

My take on Jack v Hanrahan is we couldn't go on losing games because of the same mistakes by Jack, had to go with someone different, and in particular someone who can kick goals consistently. But if you do that you need to play to JJs strengths, there's been numerous occasions this year we've infuriatingly turned down the 3 and then proceeded to f up the lineout. Any, made zero difference tonight as we were bossed all over the picth. The bundee thing has popped up here a few times on here in recent years, I wouldn't be too quick to stick the knife in but I think it's fair to say connacht haven't seen anything approaching his world cup form for a long time.

But it's not easy to go from the incredibly well oiled Andy Farrell machine straight to being expected to carry an outgunned and usually poorly coached Connacht team

ShineyShiney

Respect the ball. Respect field position. Respect the opposition and respect the score board. Basics. We lack them.

We knock on, not straight, over throw, miss passes to players, kick out on the full, kick short down the centre, drop restarts in every game. We kick penalties 20mtrs instead of 40-50.

Coach's are not setting these teams out with a clear and measurable game plan.

The Moist Buddha

Saracens will do some job on these boys next weekend