Heroic Connacht left to rue bad luck as losing run extends to 10
Date Published: {J}
Rob Murphy
EVERYONE is a little mystified at this stage. How can a team with such verve and enthusiasm be so short of a little bit of luck? Connacht might deserve a break but they aren't going to get one for that reason on its own.
Johnny May's 77th minute converted try in the Heineken Cup at Kingsholm on Saturday was just the latest and cruelest blow in a season of far too many defeats.
If it were a film script, the plot twist would be long overdue. surely at some point this Eric Elwood system will start to garner results, the hard work will pay off and this plucky young bunch will catch a break and kick on, but just have a quick glance at what lies ahead in the next six weeks. Munster, Leinster, Toulouse and Harlequins, daunting stuff with an away trip to Aironi the only chink of light.
Saturday saw yet another fine away performance for Connacht but a contrast between their play on their travels with that which we see in Galway is beginning to emerge. Elwood himself couldn't offer an explanation for the contrast afterwards, but he still feels his team are making progress and it's hard to argue with that.
In an uplifting 80 minutes, very few players fell short of their best. The return of Johnny O'Connor gave Connacht a noticeable and significant lift. Ronan Loughney was immense at tighthead and, as always, in the loose, while George Naoupu had his best game since returning to the west.
The backline were also sharp with Tiernan O'Halloran a constant threat (his name will pop a lot in the rest of this report) and the centre partnership of Dave McSharry and the returning Eoin Griffin outshining their more illustrious opposing pairing.
For more, read this week's Connacht Sentinel.