Connacht Team Talk Thread VI - Some like it TOH

Robbo · 07-01-2025 11:46AM

It will be extremely disappointing if no news outlet goes with a "Sexton to exit Dexcom" headline. Or "Sex-it".

AccidentallyOnside · 07-01-2025 12:06PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123028244#Comment_123028244

Tucker was originally appointed as a defensive coach, but our defence was so poor he was repurposed. If I remember correctly Wilkins stepped in and out defence improved a lot.

b.gud · 07-01-2025 12:23PM

2 year contract extension for Boyle

SqueakyKneecap · 07-01-2025 12:34PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123028970#Comment_123028970

One of the few positives from this season is Boyler's refusal to go down with the sinking ship around him. Fully deserved.

ShineyShiney · 07-01-2025 01:00PM

I can't say I'm disappointed to see Sexton leave, I haven't been a fan off his attack. I don't know if he's the problem but something is and a change of some sort in the coaching set up was needed. Best of luck to him.

Is SHL out of contract at the end of the season ? Id like to see him signed.

ShineyShiney · 07-01-2025 01:04PM

Ben Murphy also resigned, really pleased with him this season.Doea he have anymore brothers or maybe a sister ?

eagle eye · 07-01-2025 01:23PM

Just on Sexton, the people I know around the Connacht team have nothing but good things to say about him. That may be that he's just a nice guy but it sounds like he's well respected

sydthebeat · 07-01-2025 01:36PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123028244#Comment_123028244

Tucker was appointed as defense coach in 2021, and moved to scrum coach in the 22/23 season.

so the statement….. "The appointments of Mark Sexton and Cully Tucker as attack and defense coaches, respectively, raise concerns. While both have potential, handing them senior coaching roles at Connacht without prior experience at lower levels (AIL clubs, English/French clubs) seems premature."….. can be seen as correct as it is not time dependent.

So Tucker WAS appointed as defense coach, a senior coaching role, without any prior experience at lower levels in the AIL or Eng Fra.

realhorrorshow · 07-01-2025 01:46PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123029103#Comment_123029103

I can't figure out our attack. Statistically, it's excellent (below stats are for URC only):

2nd most offloads
Most passes
Most defenders beaten
Third best tackle evasion %
Most metres gained
2nd most clean breaks
Play beyond first receiver the most
Play beyond second receiver the most
Play wide the most

On the other hand:

11th best dominant carry %
13th best gainline success %
13th best % of linebreaks leading to tries
8th most points scored

We're making loads of metres and making breaks but not converting, why is that? Is it because we're playing in the wrong areas of the pitch? The fact that we have the 12th most kick metres in the league would suggest that we may be. If that were the case, is that the fault of the attack coach? Or should we have a kicking strategy that allows our attack opportunities from where we are more likely to generate scores?

For what it's worth I think our attack is predictable and flat but that's not borne out by the stats from what I can.

Hurley-Langton is contracted to 2026.

ShineyShiney · 07-01-2025 02:21PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123029259#Comment_123029259

I've seen the stats posted elsewhere, they are fairly impressive. On first view they look like a team that has 6/9 wins not 6/9 losses.

The stats will tell you when we kick 30 mtrs but they won't tell you if we should have.😃

Joking aside I think a balance is needed between the defence and attack and it looks out of balance with us. Good attacking intent but poor ruck protection, good line breaks but mainly in our half, poor kick execution after a decent gain. Poor handling turnover.

We have started to run into touch often enough to look like it's a plan to set the ruck on the touchline to allow maximum room to attack but then it also leaves more defenders and we aren't winning any collisions as we shovel the ball across the line.

Teams just wait until we get to the other side and let us go again until we either knock on, get turned over or kick badly. All the meters still look good on the stats.

I would swap all the good stats for another 4 points.

AccidentallyOnside · 07-01-2025 02:27PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123029259#Comment_123029259

I think what this really shows is we play 95% of our rugby behind the gain line. I think we're all tired of seeing us go through a nice looking pattern in midfield only for it to be shipped out to the winger who has no space and two defenders bearing down on him as at no point have we committed any men closer in. Or making a nice half break but still not make the gain line as we've played the ball back 15m before attempting to move forward.

In Sexton's defence that could be put down to not having any go forward from the pack, meaning we're always playing against a well set and organised defence.

Whatever it is, it's not working and coaches need to be finding solutions to it.

sydthebeat · 07-01-2025 02:51PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123029259#Comment_123029259

i think the 'most meters gained' is a bit of a statistical misnomer here. Connacht tend not to kick or kick return very often. so the majority of the meters gained are from running kick returns.

For example in the Ulster game connachts 'kick to pass ratio' was 1:14, compare to ulsters 1:2.

In the leinster game the ratios were 1:6 for Leinster and 1:11 for Connacht.

Against Bulls with was 1:8 for Connacht and 1:3 for Bulls.

Personally i think teams know Connacht lack some hard carriers to get them gainline, so teams are happy to allow them the ball and by keeping a good D line Connacht, who have a habit of going wide - wide without much success, will eventually run out of ideas and turn the ball over. Thus Connacht routinely come out worse in the turnover stats

looking at the 3 games above heres the stats:

Turnovers won

Connacht 2 Bulls 8

Leinster 6 Connacht 6

Connacht 5 Ulster 7

Turnovers lost

Connacht 13 Bulls 13

Leinster 10 Connacht 11

Connacht 21 Ulster 9

Connacht really only have Aki in the backs and moose (who has been injured for a while) in the forwards who i would consider top end gainline winners. Double up on them and you severely reduce Connachts strengths.

Connacht4life · 07-01-2025 03:17PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123028244#Comment_123028244

You are completely incorrect, it's a known fact Dewald wanted to stay, Mossy Lawlor was also not offered a contract extension so Munster approached him, Muldoon fell out with Lam and was sacked along with Conor McPhillips,

jim Dempsey · 07-01-2025 04:08PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123028342#Comment_123028342

Munster want tucker

jim Dempsey · 07-01-2025 04:18PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123029712#Comment_123029712

If that is true then ruane needs sacking. It's bad enough Muldoon was the one who demanded AJ MacGinty be replaced. But now is the reason you lost your best coach. Connacht going down the route of Munsters Jobs for the boys is bad news.

Paul Smeenus · 07-01-2025 04:38PM

If we (Ulster) can't get him, you Connacht folk should scoop Jeremy Davidson.

testtech05 · 07-01-2025 04:55PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123030016#Comment_123030016

Whats this one about Muldoon and AJ? Never heard that before. I seem to recall AJ being signed on a short term deal (and as a bit of a punt tbh which worked out extremely well) and in the meantime a big money deal being done for Boschoff which went terribly but meant we couldn't keep AJ as he was NIQ also.

jim Dempsey · 07-01-2025 05:36PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123030125#Comment_123030125

Muldoon even tells the story himself. After one game in which AJ missed most his kicks and was having a bad run Muldoon went to the coaching team saying this can't continue etc. management agreed with him and went looking for a replacement and signed a SA player. As the season went on AJs form improved and Connacht wanted to keep him but had already sign a 10 so Irfu made them move him on as he played for America. Muldoon tells the story himself which is fair enough because it's not something I would do.

AccidentallyOnside · 07-01-2025 06:18PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123030076#Comment_123030076

Seems to have got a promotion at castre....or rereading I'm not sure if he has, new position is:

"advisor to the president for the club’s sporting development"

Not sure what exactly that role is. Id take him in a second, remember seeing him do the most intense warm up session I've ever seen a pack being put through at the Dexcom some years back when he was the forwards coach for......I'm gonna say Narbonne but very likely wrong.

Edit: Google says it was Bordeaux

ElisaAtWar · 07-01-2025 07:21PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123030285#Comment_123030285

That is a complete crock of shite. Boschoff was already signed for the new 2016-2017 season before McGinty was signed on short term for the end of the 2016 season. By IRFU rules he had to leave at the end of the 2016 season because you you can't have two IQ players playing in the same position. So stop trying to play around and go back your Munster thread

testtech05 · 07-01-2025 08:00PM

Anyone want to hazard a guess what kind of punishment Mack is looking at tomorrow?

If he gets the book thrown at him by the URC would they rule him out for 6 nations and Europe as well like with red cards etc?

eagle eye · 07-01-2025 08:47PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123030720#Comment_123030720

If they put up a proper argument for him it shouldn't be that big of a ban.

If it were me I'd say he was extremely upset after the loss, that's a human thing. I'd have Wilkins defend him and say he feels responsible as he should not have allowed him to speak to the media.

Mack then apologises for his actions. He should have went to see some sort of shrink so that he can say he's sought professional help to ensure something like this never happens again.

You want to bring it across as a mistake due to issues which you are trying to resolve. Making it human weakness and issues should shorten the ban I think.

eagle eye · 07-01-2025 08:49PM

As regards all the good stats, we need a no.10 to get the best out of what we are doing well on offense.

sydthebeat · 07-01-2025 08:56PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123030720#Comment_123030720

Somewhere between a fine and a one match ban and a fine if he is contrite.

If he isn't, god knows.

lavrenti · 07-01-2025 09:15PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123028247#Comment_123028247

You are a pain in the hole mostly Jim Demps, but I'm with you 100% on this: Niall Murray is too light to put up against a French pack.

07-01-2025 11:34PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123030076#Comment_123030076

I'd be all for an experienced Irish head coach coming in if Davidson was interested.

I'm just catching up with today's news but it looks like we're already clearing the decks this Summer:

Mark Sexton to Ulster is done. Regardless of how Wilkins has spun this the exit is because of how Sexton was managed by a head coach he thinks is getting sacked in five months time.
Cullie Tucker to Munster sounds real. There's no way the media would run with it if he wasn't in serious talks. He can also move home to Limerick with a longer term career horizon.
Wilkins is definitely under pressure unless results trend upwards significantly.
I've nothing against Scott Fardy but he could be collateral damage in all this.
Mul is here to stay. I don't like the way his return pushed Dewald Senekal but that's our **** parish politics. Most supporters are none the wiser. Mul isn't going anywhere so we need a Head Coach / Director of Rugby willing to work with him on a long-term basis.

If Jeremy Davidson is that man I'm more than happy to welcome him.

ElisaAtWar · 08-01-2025 12:11AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123030720#Comment_123030720

Nice the way Wilkins threw him under a bus. To say what Wilkins said was just pathetic

Downlinz · 08-01-2025 12:32AM

I hope Mack gets a small fine and nothing more. If players are interviewed after a game then some leeway should be given for them speaking emotionally and his criticism was largely systemic or indeed factual recounts of his conversation and lack of checks on the Aki hit so it's hardly in the sort of category of Sexton calling a referee a "cheat".

It creates interesting talking points and some excitement which the league and sport could desperately use a bit more of. The last thing anyone wants is for players to become reluctant to engage with the media out of fear they hurt their team with suspensions for what they say.

Zeugnis · 08-01-2025 03:52AM

As a matter of accountability, Wilkins needs to go. Otherwise it's deckchair organisation on the Titanic.

I don't recall the Senekal's departure being interpreted a way to bring in Muldoon when it happened in 2023. Senekal was very effective, and especially dammed our issues in the maul. It was a big disappointment to lose him.

exiledawaynothere · 08-01-2025 04:32AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123031703#Comment_123031703

hopefully they benchmark against Sexton in which case he should get a one match ban and a fine. And a warning.

Connacht Team Talk Thread VI - Some like it TOH

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