Connacht Team Talk Thread VI - Some like it TOH

ShineyShiney

Not often you see a team selected on here that you agree 100% with and this one is no exception😄. Jansen is the only change I'd make, I haven't seen enough positive so far. If Boyle and Sob are injured I'd have either Oliver /shl 7/8 or Butler or Dowling at 6 and Prendergast at 8

I'm not anti Jansen, he looks like he could be really good but sob is really good, Boyle can be exceptional when on form and the others are all known quantities. Plenty of games coming up where Jansen can grow into it, starting with Lyon away.

My first choice preference in the back row based on this season only would be 6. Prendergast 7. SHL 8. Sob

ShineyShiney

Munster won't be as weak as people think imo.

Loughman Clarke Archer

Ahern Beirne

Jod Hodnet Coombes

Murray Crowley

Daly sob Frisch Nash

Zebo

Wycherley ANO Jager Patterson Scannell Kendallen Gleeson McCarthy

That's a pretty decent side, Scannell will come in ahead of Butler imo if Crowley is an enforced absentee

They could do a lot worse than giving Shane Delahunt a buzz and see if he fancies a month of rugby

Dubinusa

Shame that O'Brien got injured v Ulster. He was playing great. Connacht got a good player in him.

ElisaAtWar

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121528648#Comment_121528648

Think that's my opinion in total

ElisaAtWar

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121533049#Comment_121533049

And this technical analysis is about right for me

Wegians89

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121543596#Comment_121543596

Looks like Jansen is out anyways, had put him in as I knew the other two were defo out.

Presume it’ll be 6 SHL 7 Oliver 8 Prendergast 20 Butler but if dowling is fit I’d go 6 dowling 7 SHL 8 Prendergast 20 Oliver, could really target that Munster lineout .

Shelflife

A few issues for me.

The lineout is terrible were 10th of 16 in the URC, get into a good attacking position only to turn the ball over and see all the good work undone.

Jack at OH simply isn't doing it, he plays so far back these days that he's simply not an attacking threat. It makes him very easy to defend against as he never attacks the line like he used to. Many of his passes are simple shovel passes to a runner. In the last two games that he played he wasn't the first receiver on numerous occasions with the forwards and center's taking the ball up.

Blade is a good player but as a previous poster said he's infuriating when he is flapping his arms looking for a penalty instead of getting the ball away. I'm not sure if its his fault or the other players but at times he appears not to know which way (left or right) to go or else the runners he expects to be there aren't there.

We transition so slowly when there's a turnover, we might gain 20m from a turnover but we invariably lose 30-40 metres when we lose the ball.

We give away so many soft penalties especially in kicking range, see the Ulster game where we gave away a pen in front of the posts for not rolling away.

The way we interact with the officials is terrible, we seem to be whining at them all the time instead of picking our battles with them, we dont seem to adjust to what the referee is looking for during the game.

realhorrorshow

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121548221#Comment_121548221

Agree strongly with pretty much all of this, although I do think Carty may be playing the system, as he attacked the line much more aggressively up to last season. Hanrahan tends to play very deep also and shovel ball to static runners etc.

Your last point is one I agree with strongly and have done for some time. I noticed it especially at Eagles games back in the day, where you can hear the moaning much more clearly without crowd noise. Thankfully we have stopped counting down from five when an opposition scrum half was preparing a box kick - you are never going to get the decision and it drives referees mad. Blade reminds me of Jamie Ritchie as captain, which is not a good thing. Constant discussion and blatant negative body language is not going to endear him to any ref, and he has been warned at least once this season about his referee interactions.

ElisaAtWar

So this is my belief. Caolin sits on his arse waiting. It kills the momentum. Jack/JJ sit around and they have nothing to offer. But as realhorrorshow says both of them sit back in the line, JJ more than Jack. So there is no go forward. And because you are sitting back the only option is to kick posession away. Headwrecking. Anyway looking forward to Lyon more for the holidays than the game

ElisaAtWar

It is amazing that Caolins behaviour and our out halfs behaviour is acceptable. It is left to the rest of the team to suffer their poor choices

eagle eye

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121548978#Comment_121548978

This is what I'm saying. Get an out-half and it all changes. The scrum-half takes his cues from his no.10. It mightn't stop his moaning but he'll move the ball when he has a good 10 outside him.

I think Blade is good enough but he hasn't a half back partner to get the best out of him.

Edit to add: It's not that hard to find a decent out-half. I watch southern hemisphere and see the depth in South African and New Zealand teams.

I'm sure some of those third choices would love the opportunity to come to Connacht with the opportunity to start and potentially make a name for themselves and the chance to maybe put the hat in the ring to play for their country.

The Blues, Crusaders and Hurricanes have great depth, same with the Sharks and Bulls.

I'm sure there's a few clubs closer to home in a similar situation.

Zeugnis

Team to face Munster:

15. Mack Hansen (31)

14. Byron Ralston (25)

13. Cathal Forde (20)

12. Bundee Aki (130)

11. Shayne Bolton (7)

10. JJ Hanrahan (9)

9. Caolin Blade (180) (C)

1. Peter Dooley (26)

2. Dave Heffernan (187)

3. Finlay Bealham (195)

4. Darragh Murray (17)

5. Joe Joyce (8)

6. Cian Prendergast (56)

7. Shamus Hurley-Langton (28)

8. Jarrad Butler (119)

16. Dylan Tierney-Martin (31)

17. Denis Buckley (237)

18. Jack Aungier (58)

19. Niall Murray (64)

20. Oisín Dowling (50)

21. Michael McDonald (2)

22. Jack Carty (201)

23. Conor Oliver (72)

Zeugnis

Munster: Simon Zebo; Calvin Nash, Antoine Frisch, Rory Scannell, Shane Daly; Tony Butler, Conor Murray; Jeremy Loughman, Eoghan Clarke, Oli Jager; Fineen Wycherley, Tadhg Beirne (C); Tom Ahern, John Hodnett, Gavin Coombes.

Wegians89

Disappointed with the amount of changes this week, especially with the rest week next week.

Still a strong enough team on paper to beat that Munster side. 5-8 on that Munster team look strong, the rest of fancy Connacht against.

ShineyShiney

Ahh now, good 10's are fairly hard to come by.

ElisaAtWar

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121550348#Comment_121550348

I think both you and eagle_eye miss the point that realhorrorshow makes. Players define how well they play but do not define how they play. This is for the coaching staff. And as realhorrorshow points out it would seem acceptable under the current coaching regime that the out half sits back in the line rather than forcing the line. Always loved McGinty at his time with Connacht for this type of aggressive play. He always forced the line and as such kept the opposition in check. So the answer isn't that difficult. Your coaching staff say this is how you should play. Therein lies the problem

Zeugnis

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121551208#Comment_121551208

Take the point but if you look at Leinster, for example, Ross Byrne sits back in the line while Harry Byrne attacks it. Sometimes there's scope for initiative.

ElisaAtWar

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121551271#Comment_121551271

Don't disagree. But there is a huge difference of scope you are missing here. You are comparing Leinster to Connacht in the same voice. We are not the same in any way. So you beat Leinster by surprising Leinster and no other way. You certainly don't play a traditional game as expected. And each weekend we go out I see the same. And the same might be good enough from time to time but it is not always good enough and hence it must change. But game by game we do not provide such a dynamic behaviour to the point it's open season for the opposition

ElisaAtWar

Unless we change how we play based on our opposition. And this is how Leinster work it. Minimum amount of effort to achieve the result

Borders no.2

Wilkins trying to take the pressure off saying it isn't must win but the reality is that it is. There's winnable games to come but the current top 8 to me looks likely to be the top 8 at the end of the season.

Everything fell right for us at the end of last season with other results. Trying to replicate that will be really difficult. If we lose on Monday it's a mountain to climb and I dont see us playing well enough to make up the points.

ShineyShiney

46 - 52 points is where I think we will get. Might be enough.

ShineyShiney

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121551208#Comment_121551208

Nah, I hadn't even read RHS's post. I just think it's a fairly simplistic view of rugby to think of let's go overseas and pick up one of the hundreds of spare high quality, developed 10's that are wasting away. It was a reply to beagle eye.

I'm happy with Jack, I'm not a bit happy with our gameplan.

Jump_In_Jack

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121551611#Comment_121551611

It’s just at the halfway point though, being anywhere between 6th and 10th at this stage is right in the hunt to finish top 8. The must win matches are the 4 Welsh teams and Zebre. Beating Lions, and maybe Sharks as they’re currently underperforming would be good. Edinburgh aren’t great at the moment so could have beaten them. Benetton are on a good run but they are beatable even though Connacht have them away.

Winning any matches against the Irish provinces or Bulls/Stormers, or Glasgow would be a tall order, maybe focus only at home against those teams.

So, beating Munster at home is not a must win, but there is definitely a decent chance, and with those teams I’d say it’s 60/40 in favour of Connacht right now.

ElisaAtWar

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121551870#Comment_121551870

he didn't even say that which suggests your attention span is limited. anyway weekend booked in Lyon and a few beers in the Boston Tavern on Friday night is the plan

Zeugnis

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121551611#Comment_121551611

I agree, this is a must win game.

Frankly, Connacht looked mentally weak and poorly organised in our three narrow losses - red meat for our opponents. This is a decent Munster team (any team with Tadhg Beirne is) and we need to win tomorrow to repair the damage.

Top priority is securing our own line out, if we can't do that it won't matter what happens elsewhere, we will repeatedly surrender field position. There is a lot of criticism here aimed at Wilkins but it's JM who runs the part of our game which has gone backwards most dramatically this season, he should account for it.

Zeugnis

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121552061#Comment_121552061

Maybe a bit more of the Christmas cheer, goodwill to all men and all that? :)

ShineyShiney

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121552061#Comment_121552061

Perhaps I misunderstood this line from his post..

"It's not that hard to find a decent out-half."

I must admit I did add a smidgin of hyperbole with the " hundreds" but I'm sure you get the drift.

RichieRich_89

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121551901#Comment_121551901

They already beat Ulster, and Leinster needed a last gasp try to grab the win against them. It'd be interesting to see the interpro records for all the Provinces, but my impression is that Connacht have been punching above their weight (relative to results against non-Irish sides) over the past 7 or 8 years. So I dunno about "tall order".

Jump_In_Jack

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121552196#Comment_121552196

I meant the 6 matches aren’t must-win, the 3 home interprovincial matches are can-win, and against Leinster in particular is a tall order. 2 from 6 interpros is a decent result. The Irish provinces are stronger than most other teams, on par with Glasgow, Bulls and Stormers.

eagle eye

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121551208#Comment_121551208

I'd suggest you are not seeing the full picture, they are sitting back because it's all they can do. The coaching staff have no choice because neither of them can attack the line.