Connacht in 10-try rout of hapless Italians

Connacht 66

Zebre 21

The week-to-week analysis over a long season tends to get caught up in trends, and inevitably as a result, the bigger picture is rarely contemplated.

With that in mind, here’s the bottom line for all things Connacht rugby in early 2017, after this facile ten try demolition of the hapless Zebre: Connacht are on the verge of a groundbreaking step forward within European rugby.

The overall trend on the field has been defeat after defeat since early December, with the one glorious exception coming in the home tie against Wasps. That poor run of results, combined with coaching departures both now (Dave Ellis) and in the future (Pat Lam), were feeding into a sense of impending gloom around the team. Yet it clearly won’t take much to change all that, and a result in Toulouse next week will go a long way to transforming the mood.

Throughout the last six weeks, Lam has cut a frustrated figure, but he has remained resolute all the same, linking results to disruptions to the training process. Sure, Connacht have managed to field strong teams on paper but they were patched-up squads in most fixtures, and the disjointed preparation has been reflected in the performances.

The lunchtime kick-off on Saturday was a different story in terms of attack at least, Connacht were fluid and ruthless and but for a dreadful seven minute lapse early on where they shipped 14 points to the otherwise abject Parma based side, this was not far off a perfect display in a fixture of this kind.

Afterwards, the fourth-year head coach pointed to a much-improved scenario for training as a key factor in the result, and that crafted narrative was re-emphasised by Tiernan O’Halloran. The addition of three new emergency signings had bolstered numbers in sessions, and both Lam and O’Halloran are expecting a similar week in preparation for the trip to Toulouse.

It must be said that the Connacht players could have spent the week playing golf and still have had enough preparation to trounce the Italian franchise from Parma that is worryingly on the verge of collapse financially, and showing no signs of progress on the field. They led 14-7 after 12 minutes but by half time, they had shipped five more tries to trail 40-17. They parted with head coach, Gianluca Guidi, on Tuesday.

The opening try for Connacht was brilliantly crafted off a lineout that functioned superbly well throughout the match. Matt Healy finished it for just his first try of the season, with O’Halloran’s break key to the score.

It might have settled Connacht a little too quickly, as two handling errors in their own 22 gave Zebre platforms to score first-half tries from Johan Meyer and Federico Ruzza.

Connacht cut down on the errors from there, and scored a second try after a move that started in their own half resulted in stand-in outhalf, John Cooney, going in from long distance.

The Dubliner was fully settled into the role by the time he placed a brilliant grubber kick in behind the defence for O’Halloran to score a third try; and the bonus point was secured on 29 minutes from a lineout catch and drive, with Finlay Bealham scoring at the back.

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