Parks pays his way as ConnachtÕs young guns thrive

THERE’S a hackneyed old sports cliché that refers to a team’s ideal blend of youth and experience. Just where the balance should fall, however, is often the conundrum that defies those charged with the task of selecting the personnel to do duty. Too much or too little of either ingredient can leave a side fatally compromised.

Whether by accident or design, Connacht came up with the perfect amalgam on Friday when an infusion of the exuberance of youth combined with the wisdom and cunning of some of the older generation contrived to produce the shock of the Heineken Cup season and one of the most glorious occasions in the history of rugby in the province.

And, lest the word has not gone out, there was not the slightest element of a fluke about the defeat of once-mighty Biarritz. This was no slugfest in the wind and rain like when Connacht outbattled Harlequins last season, rather it was a clinical demolition in dry conditions of a team with vastly more resources through superior skills and a commendable gameplan.

In fact, it was the visitors who were flattered through their proximity at the finish courtesy of a dubious Harinordoquy try at the death, some less than competent refereeing, and the intervention of the half-time whistle at a stage when Connacht pressure had forced a five-metre scrum.

There’s no denying Connacht’s investment in youth from the start of the season, but with a plethora of injuries to some stalwart players even the most optimistic among us could never have envisaged this outcome, particularly with the hardcore of the pack missing, players of the proven calibre of Nathan White, Michael Swift, John Muldoon and George Naupuo were all out.

Equally, we could never have foreseen the profound impact of their replacements as Michael Kearney, Andrew Browne and Eoin McKeon, and young hooker Jason Harris Wright, proceeded to reveal levels of ability only previously hinted at to assist Connacht assume a crucial dominance up front, and not just in the set piece but also in the loose through the added mobility introduced to the equation by this livewire quartet.

Although not exactly rookies, none had accumulated any extended gametime in the provincial shirt, so the scale of their performances was astounding against battle-hardened big earners from the South of France who could not match the passion or the obduracy of Connacht’s young tyros.

And with props Brett Wilkinson and Ronan Loughney equally having a great deal to prove, having gone from Ireland summer tourists to Connacht bench warmers in the space of a few months, it all manifested itself in a ferocious hunger that left the visitors gasping for air whether the forward contest was in the tight or around the field.

All that was required then was astute leadership and it came in abundance from Mike McCarthy, whose ball-playing skills are a considerable asset for a second row, and Willy Faloon, who has brought an admirable work ethic down from Ulster. His loss for Friday’s return game with a fractured eye socket is enormous and leaves Connacht’s back row options even more depleted. McCarthy’s departure to Leinster at the end of the season is hugely disappointing but entirely understandable from the player’s own point of view in terms of security and ambitions.

What it all amounted to was a marked supremacy in the scrum with each of the props imposing themselves on their vaunted opposite numbers, an exemplary lineout where McCarthy called the shots with impressive shrewdness, and a dogged competitiveness at the breakdown, all ensuring some quality ball for an equally-youthful backline.

For more, read this week's Galway City Tribune.