Connacht blown away

Dara Bradley

CONNACHT’S slim hopes of progressing beyond the pool stages of the Heineken Cup or qualifying for the Amlin Challenge Cup were comprehensively dashed in London on Saturday as they slumped to a humbling 47-8 defeat at the hands of Harlequins.

Just hours before Connacht’s heaviest loss of the season, the province announced the worst kept secret in the club rugby, confirming what everybody already knew, that Pat Lam was to replace outgoing head coach Eric Elwood.

It was Connacht’s biggest losing margin since they were hammered in Wales by the Scarlets 58-10 in April, 2010. Fielding without playmaker Dan Parks at out-half, and missing George Naoupu at number 8 and the experience of the likes of captain Gavin Duffy, Connacht was always up against it and so it turned out as the English champions romped home with six tries to one in a lopsided affair.

Connacht showed ambition early-on but three knock-ons deprived them of points and momentum and confidence. But Eric Elwood’s charges’ complete ill discipline – they conceded nine penalties compared with Quins’ one in the first 40 minutes and had three players sin-binned in the second half – was their downfall.

The visitors were trailing by 16-3 at the break, perhaps not a fair reflection of the play but Quins’ were stronger up-front and had Connacht on the back-foot in the scrum from the first put-in – Conor O’Shea’s team earned ten points, a penalty try and converted penalty, in the first half, from pressure in the scrum.

The game was over when Quins crossed the whitewash immediately after the restart – the visitors tackling was non-existent – and Connacht then imploded with three yellow cards. A deflating and demoralising day in Twickenham.

The timing of the Lam appointment was bizarre; a press statement released at 8pm on a Friday night, on the eve of one of the province’s biggest game of the season, and embargoed until the following morning. Why? Who knows? But everyone associated with the province will be just pleased that the announcement has been made following what can only be described as a controversial process that involved a snub to Eddie O’Sullivan, a snub from Seán Holley, and leak after leak to the media.

No wonder Connacht CEO Tom Sears was delighted with Lam’s appointment. “The position attracted worldwide interest enabling us to select from an incredibly strong field and we are convinced Pat has all the qualities and credentials to take Connacht forward,” he said.

For more, read this week's Connacht Sentinel.