Sports
Connacht are primed to give everything against the giants of Toulouse
CONNACHT head coach Pat Lam sometimes still thinks like he’s a player. So, during his pre-match routine out on the pitch, he’ll often have a sneaky peek over at the opposition.
On Saturday, at the Sportsground (5.30pm, kick-off) he’ll do the same and steal a glance at Toulouse.
“Jeez, they’re big,” is something he’s regularly remarked of his opponents prior to kick-off in his playing days.
And that is sure to be his reaction when the giants of French rugby – giants both in terms of individual players’ physique and the club’s stature in the game – are on-ield warming up for the first pool match of the Champions Cup.
Size does matter. The four-times European cup winners certainly have a height, weight and bulk advantage. But Lam insists that won’t faze his charges.
“Without a doubt there is a difference in size. But we’re used to that,” said the New Zealand born Samoan.
“When I used to say ‘they’re big’, I used to get excited by that because it meant they’d go down hard, and it’d hurt more. But it goes back to our techniques and how we tackle and how we put the pressure on and get them down on the ground. We do a lot of work on that, around our tackling and contact work.
“Everyone goes down if you tackle well. If we can put pressure by keeping the ball, put pressure by kicking well and put pressure by defending well, right at the gain-line, it’s going to give us the best chance,” said Lam.
Connacht certainly won’t fear the visitors whom they have encountered on each of their two previous seasons in the top-flight in 2011/2012 and 2013/2014.
The aristocrats of the game came out on top on three occasions but Connacht’s awesome two-points victory over Toulouse in their own back yard in December three years ago will instil belief and confidence into the home dressing room.
So too will last Friday’s compelling win over Ulster. It was the first time in seven attempts Lam’s Connacht has got one over the northerners but what was most extraordinary about the result was it was achieved with so many frontline players out injured.
Midweek, Lam emphasised the importance of squad and, “making sure our weakest link is as strong as possible”. Last Friday, against Ulster, that philosophy worked. Craig Ronaldson, who was scheduled to play 40 minutes with Galwegians, was instead pressed into action when Peter Robb pulled out before kick-off.
The centre, who could have been perceived as a weak link, was anything but and was hugely impressive in his first game since March. “Everyone prepares to play,” said Lam. “I don’t want anyone on that training field that’s not prepared to play. They’re not just making up the numbers.”
The numbers are depleted again this week but Lam was giving everyone an opportunity to prove their fitness ahead of the team announcement at noon Friday.
For more, read this week’s Galway City 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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