Another hiding for Connacht
Ospreys 45
Connacht 20
CONNACHT ended the RaboDirect Pro12 campaign with a fifth straight loss on Saturday, going down by six tries to three at the Liberty Stadium to a much superior Ospreys side. It was a familiar feeling for the Westerners as the defensive structures once again collapsed and will serve as a marker for the work that needs to be done in the off season.
It has been a distinctly positive week off the field for the province with the news of Mill Muliaina’s arrival on the back off the signing of prop Tom McCartney and (from under the noses of Leinster and Munster) centre Bundee Aki from New Zealand,while Ballina man Willie Ruane was announced as the new CEO of the Branch after a 10-month wait for the role to be filled.
Yet on the field, the end of the campaign has been poor as the defensive frailties and lack of experience came to the fore. The promising run of four straight wins in the spring is a distant memory at this stage. Five defeats, with a total of 27 tries conceded during them, sums up a big problem and one they’ll hope the experience of the Southern Hemisphere acquisitions will help rectify.
Connacht are a young squad full of Irish qualified players, only one of the 23 on Saturday (Dan Parks) is not currently eligible to wear the green of Ireland and while that is promising, it is clear that there is a need for reinforcements, especially after spending half the campaign without the services of Craig Clarke, whose very future remains in doubt.
The home side on Saturday were in low spirits coming into this after a shock defeat to Zebre ended their play off hopes with a round to spare, yet they were in determined mood all the same and never looked under pressure in terms of losing this contest.
An early Miah Nikora penalty did have Connacht in front in the opening stages and after Jeff Hassler’s try for the home side, a try from full back Darragh Leader (underlining a fine first season) had Connacht briefly back in front, but it was shortlived.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Sentinel.