Lam targets the top six

Andrew Browne, Mick Kearney, Dave McSharry, Robbie Henshaw, Rodney Ah You, Mils Mulianina, Fionn Carr and Denis Buckley in Eyre Square where Life Style Sports announced its title sponsorship of Connacht Rugby and showcased the new Life Style Sports branded Connacht rugby jersey. Photo: joe o’SHAUGHNESSY

placeholder image — Andrew Browne, Mick Kearney, Dave McSharry, Robbie Henshaw, Rodney Ah You, Mils Mulianina, Fionn Carr and Denis Buckley in Eyre Square where Life Style Sports announced its title sponsorship of Connacht Rugby and showcased the new Life Style Sports branded Connacht rugby jersey. Photo: joe o’SHAUGHNESSY

CONNACHT coach Pat Lam has vowed to give youth its fling this season. The Samoan, facing into his second year at the helm, says the squad he has assembled for the year ahead has the perfect balance between ‘wise owls’ and ‘exuberant cubs’.

With the likes of Dan Parks and centurion Brett Wilkinson departing, out-half Jack Carty and prop Finlay Bealham will now be called upon to step up.

Other youngsters and academy graduates who can expect opportunities this year are Darragh Leader, Conor Finn, Dave Heffernan, Shane Leyden and Daniel Qualter.

Leaving aside Leader (16 appearances last season), and Carty (six caps last season) the ‘new kids on the block’ have but a handful of appearances.

Gavin Duffy, an experienced ‘head is gone, too. But Lam believes the acquisition of All-Black Mils Muliaina – with 100 New Zealand caps – brings massive experience to Connacht. They also have established stalwarts like captain John Muldoon and Michael Swift to mentor the up-and-coming players.

“You’re always getting a balance between experience and allowing the young guys to get the opportunity to gain that experience. Obviously you’re balancing the budget and how it works. But we feel that we have a better balanced squad this year in that area. We’ve a couple of really experienced guys but we’ve got some exciting talent coming through and this is the year for those guys to get their opportunity, and hopefully they’ll take it,” said Lam.

Lam says that taking into consideration Connacht’s smaller budget, compared with other teams, and relatively few internationals, the province “don’t really deserve to” finish in the top half of the Guinness Pro 12. But finishing top six is very much his ambition.

“When you look at that and make everything equal we should be finishing tenth, 11th or 12th. We want to make the Champions Cup next season, which would be massive but the process of how we achieve that is crucial as well, and that’s what we are focussed on. The way the league is set up now, every game counts and that’s what’s exciting about it – there are no soft games as everybody is going to be scrambling to make the Champions Cup,” added Lam.

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