Connacht Team Talk Thread VI - Some like it TOH

It's a tough run of fixtures to be trying to find some form.

It's obvious for competing teams to see lineout as a weakness. It's obvious that competing teams see slow distribution as a weakness. It's obvious that our maul can be overturned.

So we are targeted in these areas. No rocket science from our opposition.

Maybe it's about time we got our **** together

To be honest munster results have nothing at all to do with Connacht. Comparing teams like this makes no sense, connacht or munster could have lost the same if fixtures switched round or maybe not.

But yes both have being very poor in Heineken cup this year, maybe the cup improved but Id say its just poor performances more than quality of other teams.

Personally think it’s shows that the English and french teams are taking the tournament more serious this year ( in general, I know there have been a few fully rotated teams).

Seems the French teams are travelling too this year

The idea is that although they traveled, they couldn't be arsed about winning, because home record is the absolute priority for a lot of French teams.

It's obvious to me what's missing and that's the nuts and bolts of the game, I think we've got this tag now of being a team that can play off the cuff and score from anywhere to get a result, that seems to be at the cost of doing the basics well which includes set pieces, defending mauls and protecting the ball and the player, basically we're just not fronting up.

I think the break around six nations time will be huge for the coaching team. While a lot of the new coaches are light on experience, there is a lot of potential. There has been some great defensive sets so far this season under Fardy and some of the transition attack under Sexton has been class.

At the minute they’re going game to game each week, so won’t have too much time to fine tune the game plan. Unfortunately a lot of the issues this season are just continuation from previous years. I hope the new coaches can do something with this issues.

It's funny but going into this season I really thought things were going to be different. All aspects of our game seemed to be improved. And here is the thing that bothers me the most is Finlay. Now over the years Finlay has been our outstanding performer. For Ireland he has been immense. But since his return this year something is different. It's like he is going through the motions. And if he is going through the motions it's a first time ever as far as I'm concerned. And something is causing that.

Having watched the Connacht and Munster games last weekend. Munster blew it in the end but for 60 minutes they were excellent. There was nothing excellent about the Connacht performance.

I think there is some disconnect going on at Connacht these days.

I'm enjoying all the talk of needing to more equitably spreading the central contracts, obviously this has only just become an issue now that it's a problem for Munster!

Wasn't a problem when we went 20 years without one but if this outrage leads to some change we might get a few more scraps from the table.

Connacht lost against Saracens by the marginn 19 points. just 17 ponts of the margin was at the time at Prendergast ' SB (itwas nfair judgement for me). Anyway, So Connacht must not receive any card They have won 2 times back to back this year against Ulster. Now Ulster are much stronger (they seem to think that they are stronger than Saracens), but Connacht are not weaker than Ulster people and many bookies perdict. Hansen, Thonebury, Jansen, Forde, Jennings (if possible) all come back now.Jennings has already become the starter for 7's Ireland who aims some silverware in Paris. I don't know wheter Ulster players may read the situation that Mr Nusifora won't hope his injury. Connacht shuld try it. Anyway at first make best selection. (Individually I hope BIg FW pack as possible)

OptaJonny on Twitter is doing a series of tweets covering questions asked by followers related to rugby over the past year. 3 or the responses that have Connacht related answers are:

Bundee Aki is the statistically the best 12 over the past year with Cathal Forde in 3rd

Cian Prendergast has the best effectiveness rate (93%) of the 89 players who have hit more than 300 attacking rucks

Connacht have the 2nd lowest number (36) of players used in the 23/24 URC. Lions are lowest with 30 and Leinster are top with 47

Some very impressive showings from Prendergast and Forde