Connacht Team Talk Thread VI - Some like it TOH

Mr Hinx

I think Lancaster has to pick his strongest available team this weekend. The time for experimenting has to be largely over.

It’s going to be a very hard game anyway but we need to target a win. Otherwise the losses are starting to stack up.

connachta

Prediction based on (un)availabilities

MUNSTER	CONNACHT
HALEY	NAUGHTON
DALY	MULLINS
ABRAHAMS	RALSTON
KELLY	GAVIN
NANKIVELL	FORDE
JJ	IOANE
COUGHLAN	MURPHY
COOMBES	JANSEN
HODNETT	HURLEY-LANGTON
JOD	BOYLE
WYCHERLEY	D.MURRAY
O'CONNELL	JOYCE
JAGER	AUNGIER
SCANNELL	DT MARTIN
LOUGHMAN	BUCKLEY
BARRON	HEFFERNAN
J WYCHERLEY	DOOLEY
SALANOA	ILLO
C.RYAN	D.O'CONNOR
QUINN	PRENDERGAST
PATERSON	DEVINE
T.BUTLER	CARTY
KILGALLEN	JENNINGS

KBurke85

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123921548#Comment_123921548

Murphy will be suspended in all likelihood

KBurke85

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123921753#Comment_123921753

Buckley is out and Prendergast is away with Ireland

ElisaAtWar

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123917771#Comment_123917771

And Caolin. Plus Hansen will not travel due to being injured and will not be available this weekend for us. And tbh I believe we are only going to be stronger. Yes we will miss Bealham and Hansen (as a winger) and I really wonder why Bolton is traveling. He is a good winger but hasn't a hope of being involved. Why not leave him at Connacht where he would start vs Munster?

Zeugnis

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123921506#Comment_123921506

Great news that Niall Murray is available again, he had surgery after the Treviso game.

ElisaAtWar

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123922402#Comment_123922402

Paul Boyle even more.

eagle eye

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123921565#Comment_123921565

He is experimenting, no choice in the matter with all that are unavailable.

I just hope that Devine starts. Fast ruck ball is needed.

ShineyShiney

Murphy ioane Forde Ralston in the middle for me. Devine and Naughton to come in and close out the 5 pt win 🤞

Zeugnis

Hope to see both Treacy and Shane Jennings involved.

ShineyShiney

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123923049#Comment_123923049

Thought Treacy ran some great lines against Cardiff. Looking forward to seeing how he goes

connachta

Gavin has to play too, Forde and him are our next "Akishaw"

ShineyShiney

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123923684#Comment_123923684

Good prospect but a distance from the finished article imo. Want to see how his passing and defending are to go with the high quality bosh.

Zeugnis

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123921327#Comment_123921327

Those people were wrong because while we have a logjam at 12 (Aki, Forde, Hawkshaw, Gavin) it's a very different skill set. Henshaw could once play either but he was an exception. We have tried several of the aforementioned at 13 without it working out. Ralston, who is principally a winger, has probably been the most effective there.

Farrell was a specialist 13 and it was madness to let him go.

typhoony

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123924086#Comment_123924086

That was my opinion then as it is now but not sure everyone was of the same opinion until hindsight kicked in and it's a different narrative now

CowboyTed

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123920694#Comment_123920694

Owen Doyle is in the Irish Times today saying that Adamson should be gone over the incident if not the whole game…

Personnally I feel Adamson is a danger to players safety…

CowboyTed

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123921795#Comment_123921795

Don't know, the TMO recommended a yellow and Adamson took it upon himself to give a red..

Murphy was going more to get his arm away from where is was and glanced the head trying to get away… Holly was saying that at the time… This happens in handbags all the time…

El_Duderino 09

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123925333#Comment_123925333

For striking a player like that he has to get a red and a ban. We know Murphy wouldn't do that without a good reason, but it's not on camera so they can't really say he's just reacting to having his genitals grabbed.

So it will likely result in a by-the-book, but ultimately unjust, red card and suspension.

Maybe they can recognise he likely had his genitals grabbed and give him a light sentence with a wink and a nod. Bit I don't know how these things work.

CowboyTed

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123925374#Comment_123925374

Discretion is allowed and god knows we have seen plenty of times where it is used…

The Red is for deliberately striking. If I was tasked with defence I would point out that my client was getting sexually assaulted and he was just reacting. He was doing a natural reaction to hit the players arm away from being sexually assaulted… This was a natural reaction of self defence and deliberate as can be seen on the video.

Both actions taken by Mr. Murphy were to get the player to stop his assault. Is it the view of world rugby that he should let that assault continue. This was not an act of retribution but of defence.

I think the question should be , how do we let this happen on TV in front of children? How is a modern day do we tell players that they should take it while officials come up with a mirade of excuses how they can't punish the instigator of this assault..

Give them the idea that this could end up in court as ignoring sexual assault in the workplace after it was reported.

The most important job of a ref is the safety of the players, the ref knew what went on and he did nothing. Owen Doyle is right, Adamson is not fit to ref at this level..

Cookiemunster

The ref knew of an alligation that something happened. The cameras angles didn't show anything clearly. The ref cannot act upon something he cannot see.

There was no further citing if the Bulls player as there isn't enough evidence.

I thought that the red was harsh, but retaliation will always be sanctioned.

CowboyTed

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123927724#Comment_123927724

The ref has discretion in the game… The ref can definately have a word with a player on something he thinks happened… But lets be clear, the ref ignored and over ruled the TMO advise (of a yellow) to give a red.

This was not retaliation, Muphy was being assault and was attempting to get the player to stop. that is not retaliation.

https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/rugby/2025/10/20/owen-doyle-why-are-we-persisting-with-mike-adamson-and-his-perplexing-decisions/

"Of course, no blame whatsoever attaches to the officials for the lack of intel, but I have to take issue with what happened next.

The TMO, Hollie Davidson, called Murphy’s action accurately: “I’m not seeing a high degree of danger.” The referee repeated that “we’re not seeing a high degree of danger” and also added that it met the yellow card threshold. He then asked for confirmation that, in the absence of a bunker official, the decision was down to him. Given the context of the offence, just a penalty would have been a fair call.

But disbelief followed as Adamson handed Murphy a 20-minute red card, meaning he would have to be replaced. Where that colour came from is a mystery, but it seems the referee got his wires completely crossed"

Both Holly and Owen are better ranked refs than Mike… Holly was telling what to do and he over ruled her.

Cookiemunster

The referee is the sole arbiter. The TMO can advise, but it's the referees decision to make.

But even it he had listened to the TMO it would still have been an yellow card. Doyle mentions that Bulls immediately scored a try. This is irrelevant as Connacht would have been down to 14 anyway.

Nobody is claiming that Adamson is a good ref (he's most definitely not), but the decision brandish the red card for a retaliatory punch in the face is not as controversial as it's being made out to be.

If evidence has been found of the Bulls player grabbing Murphy it's likely that he'd have sent both off.

b.gud

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123928044#Comment_123928044

I agree with pretty much everything in this post even though personally I'd agree with the TMO that it was just a yellow when you make contact with the head you immediately run the risk of a red card, and rightfully so.

There is one point though that is completely wrong he did not punch him in the face, in fact I'd argue he didn't punch him at all. He struck him in the back of the head with his arm and then pushed him in the chest, though this could be argued as a punch to the chest as his fist may be closed. Don't get me wrong I'm not saying this is ok but I do think it's miles away from punching someone in the face

CowboyTed

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123928044#Comment_123928044

Are you say the punch was retaliatory?

Well first, thanks for saying that Murphy was infringed. He has to retaliate to something.

Second, Muphy struck out while he hand was in the unnatural position. We all know he was doing something because players don't leve there hands and arm down like that, they raise them to cover themselves or to crawl out or get up. That is why we know and that is why Holly and other experienced ref know he was doing something.

Murphy wasn't action was not retaliatory but defensive. The player was being sexually assaulted and he was reacting (not retaliating) and an experience ref knows that… The unnatural placement of Wessels hand and arm which were not trapped but left there, players don't do that…

That is why Holly recommended red and Adamson who is in his right to give a red. Adamson can give a red to anyone he likes, he is the ref. But it wasn't right, Holly was explaining that it was in retaliation but was clearly a reaction which wasn't aimed at the head but more of a defensive action…

I will point out that during handbags there are a lot of hands glancing heads as players struggle but few sending offs… Players are reacting to being grabbed or pushed…

b.gud

Apparently JHW has been handed a 9 week ban despite there being no conclusive video evidence

https://www.sarugbymag.co.za/bok-heavy-hit-with-nine-week-ban/

While I think he probably did it and deserves a ban I do not agree with banning someone without conclusive evidence. I'd be very interested to see the report on this and the reason why they decided to give the ban of there is indeed no evidence

El_Duderino 09

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123927530#Comment_123927530

While I completely agree that's what happened, if they accept that argument then they need to charge the other player with grabbing Murphy's genitals. And that's really serious. Do you think any of the video angles actually prove he grabbed Murphy's genitals?

I see his arm go in that direction, but then I see it disappear behind bodies.

Edit I see this report. Doesn't look like a particularly reputable source but well see if it turns out to be true

https://www.sarugbymag.co.za/bok-heavy-hit-with-nine-week-ban/

@b.gud has the same article.

eagle eye

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123928460#Comment_123928460

Maybe there was a witness?

Robbo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123928640#Comment_123928640

The injured party, the other players in the ruck, medical reports, the expert reports of professional match officials, video footage unavailable at the time…all of which doesn't amount to evidence these days in the absence of a UHD close up in slow-motion.

The VARification of sport has melted peoples brains to the point where they think that the only thing that goes into a decision making process is video footage.

Still waiting on a more official source for news of this ban, however.

Former Former Former

Adamson had no choice but to give the red. Whatever happened to cause it, he's two feet away from a player punching another player in the head. While I don't doubt that Murphy was provoked, there's nothing Adamson can see to back that up and he can't run a judicial hearing in the middle of the pitch. The only place that can be assessed is a post-game hearing, as appears to have happened.

Not being a high degree danger was reflected in the fact that it's a 20-minute red; intentional and dangerous would have meant a straight red.

For a man who never once refereed a professional game of rugby, Owen Doyle is very quick to cast aspersions on current refs.

El_Duderino 09

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123930196#Comment_123930196

Yeah I don't really hold the ref responsible for anything either. The footage doesn't show a grab but does show a punch. He can't just take Murphy's word for it no matter if he might personally believe him. Ref did the right thing on the pitch.

I think he might have hedged his bets a bit by giving the 20 min red card (which suggests he might have believed there was a grab but he couldn't see it). Murphy's behaviour was totally out of character for any player, let alone a generally clean player like Murphy.

I think the ref did fine with the information he had.