Connacht Team Talk Thread VI - Some like it TOH

ShineyShiney

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121932240#Comment_121932240

I don't know enough to criticise them individually. My feeling looking on is that Sextons attacking plans either are so intricate that no one on the pitch understands them or it's so basic that it doesn't work. But either way it doesn't work!!

Passes across the backline that fix no one are pointless.

Treaty fella

I believe that was also Mark Sexton’s criticism at 20s level - he came up with these intrinsic and complicated moves in training and would call players out in front of the team for messing it up and damage their confidence yet in games run very simple moves

Borders no.2

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121932714#Comment_121932714

That performance didn't deserve people waiting until the end. Of all the things to be critical of, people leaving early isn't one of them. Yesterday wasn't a one off it was obvious a day like this was around the corner if not yesterday then soon. As I saw someone write, eventually results catch up with performances.

Honestly it baffles me that as many people are turning up regularly to watch this rubbish as there are. Having been going to Connacht games for over 20 years it's the first time Im giving serious consideration to not renewing the season ticket and we had some god awful teams during that time.

I know people will say its year one of this coaching team etc but to me Wilkins is around long enough for us to judge him and its obvious he's not up to the job. The bounce at the end of last season was probably the worst thing that could happen to us long term.

SqueakyKneecap

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121932714#Comment_121932714

I generally don't agree with this being poor form myself but yesterday in particular was certainly the most understandable game to leave early.

A day out in the Sportsground is not cheap, people have kids/obligations, traffic can be cat post-match and most of all the team itself didn't seem to have any pride in themselves so why should supporters stick around to clap them off.

You wouldn't back these lads to bounce back in Benetton either after their form since the win in South Africa earlier this season.

realhorrorshow

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121933229#Comment_121933229

Who knows what they work on in training but what we see on the pitch is about as rudimentary as it gets at this level. Find it hard to believe that Sexton is some sort of tactical genius but the players choose to resort to literal hands down the line, like an u12s team, when they get on the pitch. The Ralston intercept was certainly an individual error, but it was the fact that the players outside him were far too flat, with no decoys or deception, that put him in that position. That was phase play, but I can't recall much invention off first phase either. At one point, off an attacking scrum, we ran Forde on a crash ball then a one out carry off 9 on the second phase. Even the Jansen try against Saracens, one example of a successful strike move that comes to mind, was an extremely simple play that Galwegians used to run constantly 5 years ago, when Tiernan O'Halloran was coach.

Dubinusa

I watched half an hour... Wilkins was the wrong appointment, imo. Hawkshaw is not an outside center! He's a liability out there.

But the pack were so poor, it's mind boggling. Most of the match v 7 too.

Wegians89

I would love to see carolan back.

Dubinusa

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121933469#Comment_121933469

Yep

FirstFiveEigth

Wilkins has to take ownership of our performances for once. Its more politician energy than head coach in the media. Theres no accountability, same old rubbish and it's worn thin with fans.

Ultimately, much of the responsibility lies with the coaching staff for these performances, fair enough if we dont have the players to beat the very top sides. But, the game plan was completely wrong against 14 yesterday.

Why are we trying to outmuscle sides clearly more physcial than us? How many times this season are we in opp 22 and we pick and go repeatedly, or use one out runners with little or no success. There's been so many times where there's been basically walk-in scores there for the taking out wide, but if it comes, ball is so slow that the chance is wasted. That has to be a coaching issue IMO, the order appears to be to do just that. There's no confidence the backs can finish those chances, even when we have clear numbers there.

Phase play is so flat and lateral too, barely any go forward from the tight 5 and back rowers on the wing not able to impact that, they should be some of best carriers but we can't use them because were so flat to the line. We badly need to rethink our phase formation, we can't adapt at all once we're inevitably stifled up front by a physical side with linespeed. That style of play might work, IF we win the collisions, which we aren't showing any ability to do.

Yeah we haven't a top class first XV, but have reasonable squad depth, and we have the quality to win games like that.

cson

Can anyone who's played/coached tell me why, with penalty advantage, we we're keeping it tight & going through phases with the forwards on their line? They we're down a man, I can't see why you wouldn't (with a free hit) start slinging that out wide and find some gaps? Feels like keeping it tight is far easier for 14 men to defend.

Yesterday isn't the first time we've done that either, we did the same thing versus Cardiff which leads me to believe its a coaching decision.

ElisaAtWar

God be with the day we had Murray Kinsella marvelling at our pods of 3, how they formed and reformed.

ElisaAtWar

It's funny but I watched Prendergast coming out of a ruck, turning his back on the play as he moved back into his allotted position in the line. It struck me that the symmetry of the line was perfect. But overall where are you going if that's what it's all about. From a defensive perspective it probably is fine but if you are in possession symmetry is simply stupid. How do you break an opposing line if you simply create a line yourself. It's just brainless

ulsteru20s

I wouldn't read too much into first match back after a lengthy enough break.

ElisaAtWar

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121934580#Comment_121934580

Is that you Pete?😂. To be fair to Wilkins he didn't issue a press release justifying that sad excuse for rugby that he has introduced into Connacht

Treaty fella

Connacht v Benetton will be a cracker next Saturday, both on 33 points and both sitting just off Top 8.

ElisaAtWar

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121935396#Comment_121935396

If you are reading the vibe on this forum I absolutely doubt what you say. Think it will be one off carries, a lateral line, a crap game and someone will win

CowboyTed

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121933705#Comment_121933705

Agreed...

We have bee progressively getting worse through the season... It seems we are getting found out and there seems to be not evolving... Lions had doen there homework and sniffed everything out.

The handling errors seemed to coming from being very indecisive. There is a definite lack of leadership on the team and this is not a slight on Blade, it all seems to be on him at times and it is very hard to be captain and Scrum Half. There seems to be no running of the back line like Carty gave us last year. Where Carty's form is right now is hard to tell, he was no.1 until Christmas and been very much the number 2 since.

Truth is we are steadily getting worse. we may have lost 5 in a row before Christmas but that wasn't really a panic... One was Bulls i Pretoria (no one does well there)and Saracans (just a bigger outfit), Tight games against Edinburg, Ulster and Leinster... Good sides we we competing and while hurtful losses the performances were very acceptable.

Since the the restart of URC after European Jan window, we seemed to have lost our way... Poor night in Cardiff against 14 had to dig deep to get the points there, Gave Scarlets a look back ina game that should have been snuffed out... We seemed to lack the killer backline that when gets the ball will score. That seems gone.

Add that to less dominative line out and some big lapses in defence... Last Night, we got the worst Connacht performance I think I have ever seen... It is worse than the bad times because back then we really knew we didn't have the players, we know these players are good enough.

CowboyTed

What I meant to say about Blade is that he lacks other leaders to help on the field it seems and it effects his game.

ulsteru20s

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121934724#Comment_121934724

Lol, i'm not but i just subscribe to not going too much one way or the other to wins and losses.

CowboyTed

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121935990#Comment_121935990

In fairness to Pete, he was probably in shock after the game. They just got destroyed, there was no positives from the game and they did it at home...

Everything he has been working on for months is mess on the floor...

While the screaming inside your head of where do you go from here, someone puts a microphone in front of you... At that point you go into survival mode and say it ain't that bad..

eagle eye

The big concern is how much we've regressed in 12 months.

Who do you blame for that?

EachSmallChime

Finlay and Bundee ruled out of the Benetton game.

To be reintegrated this week and made available for the Pau game.

https://www.the42.ie/connacht-treviso-aki-bealham-6336727-Mar2024/

realhorrorshow

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121933466#Comment_121933466

I didn't mind the selection too much as he's such a talented footballer and had shown glimpses of potential at 13 in the previous few games, but he was dreadful at the weekend unfortunately. Based on what we've seen of the alternatives to date, letting Tom Farrell go at the end of the season would be madness.

Dubinusa

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121937891#Comment_121937891

True. I'd be inclined to try Hawkshaw out at fb.

The Moist Buddha

anyone renew their season tickets today?

lostboy75

Nope, not yet

testtech05

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121938434#Comment_121938434

I thought it wasn't opening until the 15th from the email I received.....maybe I misread or something to do with the clan redevelopment

The Moist Buddha

enclosure, main stand, behind goals open today, clan terrace open on 15th

Utopia Parkway

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121937789#Comment_121937789

Can understand Bundee but Finlay only had some minutes off the bench and missed one game altogether. No reason he shouldn’t be back.

ElisaAtWar

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121937891#Comment_121937891

I think he is already gone realhorrorshow. If you were Tom Farrell would you not already be gone