Connacht Team Talk Thread VI - Some like it TOH

theVersatile

Funny situation with the clock at the end - don't see that happen too often.

Presume Adamson was correct in restarting play with a kickoff?

randomname2005

Nobody in an officiating capacity cares about those

bilston

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123914318#Comment_123914318

Doesn't look great

darkened_scrum

Bit of a mad game. Was obviously cheering for Connacht but probably a fair result. Games with Adamson as ref always descend into madness don't they.

Wildsurfer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123914326#Comment_123914326

Why didn't they kick to touch with time up?

OldRio

I didn't like that slide into Hansen after he scored the try. Happens far to often IMHO.

randomname2005

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123914328#Comment_123914328

No it doesn't. Hopefully it isn't serious but allows one of the younger wingers get a cap or two

PCeeeee

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123914346#Comment_123914346

The ball grabber tried to leave a bit on Ionane after the first try as well.

randomname2005

Looking back at the Murphy incident, there is no need for the SA player to have his arm in that direction. Hopefully more angles will be available later

Utopia Parkway

Bulls got away pretty much scot free with a few cheap shots tonight.

KBurke85

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123914326#Comment_123914326

The first conversion was before the 80 and he said before that there would be time for th restart

ElisaAtWar

result as expected. did anyone think otherwise. what a rubbish team selection. difference between leo and Stuart is that one selects the team for the job

Redo91

Main takeaway from tonight is that we can’t play Ioane without someone like Naughton or Forde that can kick. His missed penalty in the first half was criminal at this level.

StormForce13

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123914338#Comment_123914338

Because the Laws don't allow the game to end like that. It would have been a Connacht scrum on the half way line or Connacht could ask for the kick to be retaken.

Lost Ormond

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123914346#Comment_123914346

It does. Should be penalised more. i really hate seeing it. would be nice if refs at top level penalised it more. stops people watching from getting ideas of doing it at lower levels as well.

Mr Hinx

That referee is quite dreadful.

Not sure I like the game plan we are seeing. Is it more attritional than last season? So many tries conceded in same area of the pitch. Teams are overloading us out wide.

Pack struggled. Half backs struggled. Blade was pretty slow. Josh can’t kick.

Sam Gilbert can’t come quick enough. Damn you Otago. Damn you!

Zeugnis

Devine needs to start a game. I say that while acknowledging that Caolin is playing better.

I don't feel Mullins is at the level right now, although I'm sure he was not the only one responsible for the scores out wide.

Forde is our starting 12, Bundee can be our occasional Galactico.

The kicking roster needs to be nailed down.

connachta

The table is pretty clear bar Leinster coming up for Top7 and Zebre prob back to last 6. It's between Treviso Embra and us for top8

Utopia Parkway

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123914504#Comment_123914504

Thought the pack did OK to be honest. We had more than enough possession. Couple of scrums were dodgy but overall they were alright I thought. We’re still lacking a bit of power to get over the gain line against the more physical sides though. Think we look better defensively in general this season but not sure what happened out wide tonight but Le Roux, De Klerk and the Bulls 9 caused wreck out wide any time the Bulls could get the ball out there.

cson

Disappointing not to nick it, hindsight is 20/20 but I wonder if we would have been better off trying to go over closer to the posts given we had penalty advantage - that was a really tough kick, as pretty much all of them are toward the College Rd end.

It is good to see at least in losses we're racking up bonus points, those will be crucial to making the playoffs.

Agreed on the kicking, our last solid kicker was probably AJ? 9 years ago!

KBurke85

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123914634#Comment_123914634

I think last year we nearly had the most bonus points and we’re still nowhere near the playoffs

eagle eye

I can't believe they gave Naughton those pressure kicks at the end of the game. He's never experienced that before. When you start him and he kicks for the whole game that's fine but not coming off the bench.

Forde should have been kicking those conversions.

The long kicks down field in the second half didn't work at all. We didn't have the pace to get to them. They were into the wind and it surprised me that we couldn't get up to challenge for them.

FtD v2

That Josh Murphy red card is infuriating - I would 100% believe him that what he accused Wessels of is exactly what happened, and I don’t for a second believe it happened by accident.

There was a clip where Wessels’ hand is in a completely unnatural position, and it’s literally a second before you can see Murphy react.

The really point of it is Wessels could have been in the bin at that time for coming in late and clipping Ioane after he scored at that time (Porter got a yellow for much less before against Wales).

Former Coach

OK I was wrong but it was a close run thing ☺️

A lot of positives but still lots of improvement needed. The Bulls scrum had us in a lot of bother. Our ruck speed is nowhere near good enough - compared with the top teams. A few defensive lapses cost us dearly.

I remain optimistic and I think we can still get a top-8 finish.....

fitz

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123914779#Comment_123914779

Wessels should absolutely have been binned for the late cheap-shot on Ioane, imo.

eagle eye

Is it one more game before Lancaster decides on his best 15?

Mr Hinx

With a bit more smarts and a kicker and we are probably 3 from 3.

Hopefully we can get there.

bilston

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123914346#Comment_123914346

Same thing happened to Izuchukwu last week (not a slide but a late contact after scoring) which has put him out of the Autumn Internationals...same team responsible...different player though. In fact McCloskey ended up with a bust nose after his try as well, although less clear if it was intentional.

Players aren't braced for the impact, it's unnecessary. Been happening for years though, was it Ben Cohen slid in late on Girvan Dempsey at Twickenham in 2004?

ElisaAtWar

Tom Farrell, what a player

ElisaAtWar

Have to say Andy Farrell will destroy Irish rugby as Joe Schmidt did. Pick the best players and they will execute. Pick the same players and they will provide the same.