Sports
Connacht’s injury crisis deepens in away loss to Ulster
Ulster 23
Connacht 7
THERE’S no doubt Connacht’s away record improved immeasurably last season but it is regressing at a rapid rate as 2017 rolls in. Each away defeat has its own extenuating circumstances but if you take the last nine months, from April to now, Connacht have won just once on the home soil of an opponent – away to a fairly abject Zebre in October.
The extenuating circumstances being experienced by Connacht at the moment are not all that unusual so, perhaps not all that extenuating as a result. An injury crisis at Christmas is something this side has seen before, most recently, just 12 months ago. Connacht finished this game in Belfast with the seven fit backs they had left in their squad, a third choice tighthead and a hooker covering loosehead prop.
Injuries are injuries, Danie Poolman took a knock to the head in the first half as did Finlay Bealham, Ultan Dillane hurt his ankle late on trying to turn and present the ball in the tackle after a brilliantly defiant impact from the replacements bench for the previous ten minutes. So in short, it seems clear that none of Friday’s three key injuries could be attributed to anything other than bad luck.
In fact, each of the 20 injuries to first team capped players within the squad will have its own logical explanation. In the background, the medical staff will obviously be spending some time considering the processes involved in recovery and the causes of these knocks to see if there is more than just bad luck at play. It wouldn’t be very prudent not to critically analyse when such bad luck is inflicted on their squad so regularly.
The injury crisis is paramount to any report on this Christmas weekend defeat in the north. The local welcome for Connacht from the sold-out home crowd was as warm, gracious and genuine as ever from the Ulster rugby family. Their team aren’t firing on all cylinders and fell well short of their best in this contest too, but they did more than enough in defence to shut down Connacht’s energetic and lively attack play.
Most teams have fully got to grips with the westerners at this stage but few teams can handle the men in green when it comes to the Sportsground. Leaving aside those first two games in September when the botched pre-season (hardly an act of God but not the players fault either) was to blame, Connacht have dug out big wins through grit and determination with a smidgen of world class skill when needed.
Away from home the grit and determination isn’t enough for most teams and Connacht are no different, their skill based gameplan focused on high octane attacking rugby from anywhere then becomes easy to defend, especially when they fail to use the space that is in front of them when teams like Ulster or Wasps or even the Dragons push up on them with a blitz defence and fully prepare for attacks from anywhere.
Full coverage in this week’s Connacht Tribune.
Galway 3-18
Cork 1-10
NEW setting; new opposition; new challenge. It made no difference to the Galway minor hurlers as they chalked up a remarkable sixth consecutive double digits championship victory at Semple Stadium on Saturday.
The final scoreline in Thurles may have been a little harsh on Cork, but there was no doubting Galway’s overall superiority in setting up only a second-ever All-Ireland showdown against Clare at the same venue on Sunday week.
Having claimed an historic Leinster title the previous weekend, Galway took a while to get going against the Rebels and also endured their first period in a match in which they were heavily outscored, but still the boys in maroon roll on.
Beating a decent Cork outfit by 14 points sums up how formidable Galway are. No team has managed to lay a glove on them so far, and though Clare might ask them questions other challengers haven’t, they are going to have to find significant improvement on their semi-final win over 14-man Kilkenny to pull off a final upset.
Galway just aren’t winning their matches; they are overpowering the teams which have stood in their way. Their level of consistency is admirable for young players starting off on the inter-county journey, while the team’s temperament appears to be bombproof, no matter what is thrown at them.
Having romped through Leinster, Galway should have been a bit rattled by being only level (0-4 each) after 20 minutes and being a little fortunate not to have been behind; or when Cork stormed out of the blocks at the start of the second half by hitting 1-4 to just a solitary point in reply, but there was never any trace of panic in their ranks.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
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GALWAY United need to guard against any kind of complacency when they make the short hop down the M18 this Friday to take on Treaty United at the Markets Field (7.45pm).
The game is a meeting of the two form teams in the division, and as in previous meetings between the sides, will have an additional edge given the number of former United players in the home side’s ranks, and the pair of Limerick lads playing for United.
There might have been just the eight meetings between the sides since Treaty became the latest iteration to represent Limerick in the League of Ireland in 2021, and while United have yet to lose to the men in the candy-cane strips, there has never been more than a goal in four of their eight wins.
The most recent of those was back in February, when Rob Slevin scored the only goal of the game in Eamonn Deacy Park after a tough battle against a side who made a slow start to the season, before finally finding their groove in the past month.
Having taken just three points from their first six games before finally getting a win against Longford Town, they reverted to type with just one point from their next three games, but are now on a run of four wins on the spin, scoring 12 goals and conceding just one.
Their most recent win was a 3-0 victory away to Longford Town last Saturday, and they could have won by double that against the only side to have beaten United this season. That in itself is a warning.
For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.
Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App
Download the Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App to access to Galway’s best-selling newspaper.
Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Or purchase the Digital Edition for PC, Mac or Laptop from Pagesuite HERE.
Get the Connacht Tribune Live app
The Connacht Tribune Live app is the home of everything that is happening in Galway City and county. It’s completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and information on what’s on in your area. Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Soccer Wrap with Mike Rafferty
While the Salthill Devon men’s team might have lost their grip on the Connacht Junior Cup that they held for two seasons, the club’s women’s side have picked up the mantle and on Sunday last in Headford were crowned provincial champions with a 4-3 win over Manulla.
Following midweek wins for Maree/Oranmore and Knocknacarra, the stage is now almost set for the semi-finals of the Michael Byrne Cup with Salthill Devon meeting St Bernard’s on Sunday in an outstanding quarter-final, with the winners advancing to a semi-final against Maree/Oranmore, while Colga will face Knocknacarra in the other last four contest.
Just one league issue remains to be decided, with the Championship runners-up position up for grabs, as Dynamo Blues have to win their two remaining games in order to overtake Colemanstown United who have finished their programme.
WOMEN’S CONNACHT CUP FINAL
Salthill Devon 4
Manulla 3
Ellerose O’Flaherty scored twice as Salthill Devon were crowned provincial champions with a win over a Mayo side who were losing in the final for the second year in succession.
Backboned by a number of players who previously had League of Ireland experience with Galway WFC, Devon suffered an early set back when Jess Nolan put Manulla ahead, before O’Flaherty levelled matters with a cracking finish on 20 minutes, which was quickly followed by a long-range free-kick from Aoife Walsh.
For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.
Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App
Download the Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App to access to Galway’s best-selling newspaper.
Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Or purchase the Digital Edition for PC, Mac or Laptop from Pagesuite HERE.
Get the Connacht Tribune Live app
The Connacht Tribune Live app is the home of everything that is happening in Galway City and county. It’s completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and information on what’s on in your area. Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
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