Connacht’s resources depleted further for visit of Newcastle in Challenge Cup
SOCIAL media went bananas in the wake of Connacht’s milestone win over Munster at Thomond Park last Saturday week.
Videos and Vines of Bundee Aki’s spectacular acrobatics in scoring the decisive try were tweeted and re-tweeted. Shared screen grabs of the league table, with Connacht sitting pretty at the top, were going viral. So too photos of the final score: Munster 12 18 Connacht.
Not a peep out of the players though. Ordinarily a victory of that significance would provoke some sort of reaction. And they’d have earned the right to. They were elated on-field at the final whistle obviously but their online silence was as instructive as the performance they produced that toppled mighty Munster.
It proved they went to Thomond Park knowing not just that they could win but that they would win. The mindset continues to evolve. Beating Munster didn’t come as a surprise to them.
The change is subtle but Connacht now have confidence they can win every game they play. Not an ‘every dog has its day and hopefully today is that day’ sort of confidence. The soaring self-belief is real and it’s backed by a plan, which has produced results.
Last weekend was a setback. Connacht lost on the road to Cardiff Blues, although they were unlucky not to have scored a winning try. Perhaps more telling was Munster’s 6-22 capitulation away to Newport Gwent Dragons.
It doesn’t necessarily detract from Connacht’s heroics in Limerick a fortnight ago but it certainly puts it in context. A bit like Manchester United, Munster have lost their lustre.
Ahead of the resumption of European action this weekend, there have been more reality checks for Connacht to contend with as they prepare to face Newcastle Falcons (Friday, 7.45pm), and keep this season’s unbeaten home record intact.
Injury crises are not a new phenomenon for a province with less spending power and a smaller pick of players than other clubs but Pat Lam could switch video analysis sessions to the Emergency Department of University Hospital Galway such is the injury debacle.
Lam pointed out that just 23 of the original 41-man European squad are available, as the bonus-point defeat in Wales took its toll on an already lengthy injury list.
For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.