Connacht Team Talk Thread VI - Some like it TOH

digger958

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122718431#Comment_122718431

Ah stop. Look at a team like Leinster and contrast it to Connacht. Leinster remind me in the rucks as a dog searching for a juicy bone. Connacht are docile in comparison. If you don't have that aggression you're just depending on fast ball to live. It's hard being on the back foot as a 10.

eagle eye

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122718764#Comment_122718764

So you are not blaming Ioane then?

KBurke85

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122718878#Comment_122718878

Ioane didn't give away silly penalties giving access to our 22. Ioane can't stop a rolling maul. Ioane isn't responsible for other players missing tackles.

Did he have the greatest game in the world? No. Should he have found touch at the end? Of course.

But he certainly isn't the reason we lost the game.

Tommybojangles

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122718476#Comment_122718476

The last paragraph i think sums up a lot of people's frustration. These are Good players, a team like this was an absolute pipe dream to those of us who remember the 90s and 00s (Won't go back further to amateur days) When having an international was mind blowing and we were (Rightly) delighted to recruit Gavin Duffy and Johnny O' Connor. In the backs alone we have 2 fifty cap internationals and Hansen who will likely get to that mark. A capped all black who we've managed to turn into a scapegoat within 4 games. What's frustrating is who knows where Connacht will be down the line in 5,10,15,20 years, hopefully we'll still be able to field strong teams like this but who knows, this might be one of the best squads we ever put out and for years (even in Andy Freinds time) we're throwing away results on dumb and simple stuff

Wegians89

I’d hope the Forde comes back into the starting team this week. I’d prefer if he was at 12 but think it’ll be 13 outside Bundee. I’d also consider dropping POC back to 15 and Santi on the bench

RonnieL

Yeah, the jury is still very much out on Santi. For a full back, his tackling and confidence under the high ball are just not good enough in my opinion. Piers on the other hand has looked good no matter where we've started him.

I remember Shane Jennings having a few nervy moments at full back last season, but maybe worth giving him another shot their either? He's a big lad and exciting with ball in hand and some space to run into.

realhorrorshow

I think we have two issues with squad balance.

1. We have an abundance of talented back 3 options, but most if not all are more comfortable on the wing than at fullback.
2. We have an abundance of talented centres, but most are more comfortable at inside than outside centre.

We have tried to address these issues in a number of ways, trying the likes of , Smith, Hansen, and Jennings at 15, Forde at 13, etc. The only experiment we really persisted with was Hawkshaw at 13, which was not a success in my opinion.

One solution I have been mulling over is O'Conor at 15 and Gavin at 13, starting with the home game against the Dragons. I think this improves our first choice back 3, and gets our best young player (possibly ever) into the team, skipping the enormous logjam at 12. On the flip side, it leaves Hansen, Cordero, Bolton, Jennings, Mullins, Smith, etc. competing for two jerseys, so we would have a lot of talent sitting in the stands. It also potentially jeopardises Gavin's development by moving him away from his best position at a key stage of his career.

digger958

The question that needs to be asked is how do we beat Leinster this coming weekend? So with that as the starting point what will make the difference?

digger958

Cordero on the bench as 23 is certainly not going to help as he is not a utility back. He either starts or is not included

realhorrorshow

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122730627#Comment_122730627

Good question. If you want to follow the Ulster template from last season you'd probably pick Carty and try beat the blitz with attacking kicks. You'd also want Forde in the team to kick goals, if we're going to win it will be a close game. Maybe dust Niall Murray off for his defensive lineouts, with Leinster being forced to go so far down the depth chart at hooker.

Wegians89

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122730627#Comment_122730627

Leinster don’t look brilliant, don’t get me wrong they should still beat 90% of URC games no bother.

Their attack still isn’t clicking and while their scramble defence is unreal, they concede a lot of line breaks. I can easily see Ben a Murphy scoring off first phase or a bit of Mack magic getting through.

Against Leinster you also need to take advantage at scrum time. I think D Murray and Joyce behind Buckley Heff and Bealham will be key.

testtech05

RTE reporting the results of Murphys hearing.

4 week ban for Murphy

RonnieL

4 weeks seems fair enough - it had all the looks of a cheap shot.

Selections will be interesting on both sides when they come out in a couple of hours. Looks like it's going to be a very windy night at the sportsground, and I can see Leinster peppering our back three with high balls regardless, so hopefully they've been practicing their fielding!

testtech05

Pretty much along expected lines with Piers moved to FB and Santi to the wing hopefully he can show a bit more of what he is about as has been quiet so far after the injury. Good to see Gavin on the bench too.

Former Coach

I like the look of that selection!

realhorrorshow

A few reasons to be optimistic IMO:

• We are at home.
• We have a major experience advantage in the front row, and may be able to eke out some penalties from the scrum.
• We have a strong defensive lineout and Leinster are way down the depth chart at hooker. Though I don't see Gus McCarthy as a weakness at all to be honest.
• Leinster's defensive system places a lot of responsibility on the wingers and Andrew Osborne is a poor defender to my mind.

That being said, it's a very strong Leinster team and we will likely need to be at our very best, along with some luck, in order to eke out a win. Can't afford any of the silly errors and concentration lapses that have marred our season so far.

Really glad we've selected Gavin as we have many other options for the 23 jersey, but have opted against a safer bet like Ralston. Hopefully he gets some decent minutes, followed by a start against Dragons.

Wegians89

Is Mack out injured?

SqueakyKneecap

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122733003#Comment_122733003

Player protocol I reckon as he played every game so far IIRC. He deserved to be dropped after last week anyways in fairness.

Hoping Cordero goes better on the wing than FB. Excited for Gavin off the bench too.

kita99

Why there is no M.Devine at SH?

testtech05

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122733003#Comment_122733003

According to the42 article he has "minor hip issue"

FACECUTTR

Murphy is great but he is inexperienced so I think Blade on the bench makes a more solid choice.

realhorrorshow

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122733269#Comment_122733269

Because Murphy is on fire and Blade is an international. Unlucky for Devine who was really good himself last year, but he'll get his chance.

lavrenti

Exciting selection. Would liked to have seen SHL ON the bench, but other than that this is good. Cordero hasn't worked at FB, so let's hope he can improve on the wing. Hawkshaw, and then Forde from the bench, can take on kicking duties from Ioane. Good game from Bolton could mean he's a bolter for Irish squad.

realhorrorshow

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122734081#Comment_122734081

Hurley-Langton is injured I believe.

digger958

Team selection is pretty much in line with folks comments. I do find it interesting how Leinster work selections. Now obviously with them having a large proportion of the Irish team decisions have to made how to best use resources. That said I find it strange they go full tilt at Benetton away and then provide a somewhat mixed team against Connacht.

Be that what it is the question still remains, how do we beat this team. So it's the usual. You defend your scrums, you defend your lineouts, you kick sensibly and kick well. You take every point you can and be happy to take it rather than gambling on crossing the line by kicking into corners when penalties are straight forward.

So that's the basics. But to win this game we pester Gibson Park. Murphy needs to torment him around the scrum for starters. Then having a perfect defensive line is not going to cut it. We need to be able to cut out of the line to disrupt Gibson Parks distribution. If we are just going to play conventional defensive line I don't think we will win. We need to understand the importance of Gibson Park and shut it down.

One change I would make to this team is have Forde at inside centre and Bundee at outside centre. It just supports the type of play we will need to win this game. Of course Bundee plays inside for Ireland but for Connacht he would be far more devastating at outside centre

ShineyShiney

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122734230#Comment_122734230

I think we should do what Ulster did to us. Make the rucks a complete dog fight, slow their ball down. If we lose the ruck battle we will lose the game.

digger958

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122734538#Comment_122734538

Of the opposite belief. You fight by their game you lose by their rules.

digger958

You play the typical game you get the same result.

So rather than defensive you go offensive. We know Leinster will beat us with a bonus point if we play defensively. So what's the point in that.

connachta

Well, there's a elephant in the room nobody pointed out. Piers O'Connor, though not completely unexperienced here, played only 10 out of his 111 game as FB…

ShineyShiney

With the teams selected I think we will have parity, or at least as close to it, so it's not the deciding factor in the game in lineout and scrum. Slow their ball and negate jgps influence and I think we might have a chance. But either way I'd love it if we beat them.