Connacht’s European hopes are left hanging by a thread

Connacht 17

Rob Murphy in Kingshom

THE Champions Cup adventure isn’t quite derailed but the concession of three tries in 15 minutes in Kingsholm on Sunday has placed Connacht firmly in the position of outsider in the race for a place in the quarter finals. A three-point half time lead was erased in ruthless fashion as a misfiring Gloucester turned a stroke of luck into a bonus point victory over Andy Friend’s side.

Connacht don’t win in England all that often, just twice in 21 years of trying now. This was the latest example of an error strewn and flat performance in front of a crowd of over 10,875 at the famous old ground. The Connacht players and staff cut a frustrated bunch as they trudged off the field, into the dressing room and then onto the bus for their late evening Ryanair flight back.

The bus reached Galway in the wee hours of Monday morning, a full nine hours on from the full time whistle in this one. The post mortem on that long journey can’t have been easy. Captain Jared Butler was adamant when he spoke to the media afterwards that it wasn’t a case of heads dropping – after a key error early in the second half gifted the hosts a vital try – it was more down to execution and system errors he argued.

That’s the mindset and it must be excruciating to have to dissect the details of such a performance in the aftermath. The modern player doesn’t consider the collective mood or group personalities, it’s all processes. Fifteen players, each with their individual assignments that contribute to the collective team effort. Their role is crucial, all roles are crucial. It’s the ‘control the controllables’ mindset over the more traditional, all in effort.

Connacht led at half time 10-7 having bounced back brilliantly from the concession of an early try to turn the tie on its head. Tom Marshall had got the opening score for Gloucester, who had turned a lineout steal into a sweeping set of attacking phases that eventually saw the hugely talented New Zealand born full back charge through a gap and sprint home with Danny Cipriani adding the extras.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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