Connacht bow out but they have a team now

Date Published: {J}

THE Heineken Cup may have tantalisingly remained out of Connacht’s reach for another season, but the province has finally assembled a quality squad with which they can go to war with next autumn. Of course, it will be no consolation to the Connacht players in the wake of last Friday’s epic effort against Toulon, but when the wounds heal and the disappointment fades, they will start to appreciate that rugby in the West has never been in a better place.

It’s a fitting legacy for Michael Bradley to leave after over six arduous seasons as Connacht coach. There were many bad days and some terrible thrashings along the way, but the former Irish scrum half never complained or bemoaned his sporting station in life. He remained utterly dedicated to the Connacht cause and the province owes him a massive debt of gratitude.

Bradley hands over a team with no little prospects to Eric Elwood.

Having been one of the 7,000 supporters who thronged the Sportsground for last Friday’s Amlin Cup semi-final, it was an evening to savour. The electric atmosphere spoke volumes for the manner in which the local sporting community have rallied behind the team and, boy, did they get a performance worthy of the occasion. To a man, Connacht died with their boots on with captain John Muldoon setting the tone in the opening moments.

In terms of the rival squads’ budgets, this should have been a no contest, but Connacht refused to be daunted by the huge challenge ahead of them. They fronted up spectacularly to their classy French visitors with Michael Swift, Sean Cronin and Johnny O’Connor repeatedly laying their bodies on the line in the high intensity exchanges. Behind them, Ian Keatley was deadly accurate with his place kicking as Connacht remained extremely competitive for the entire 80 plus minutes of action.

The spectacular fielding of Gavin Duffy at full back was inspirational and as the match drifted to half-time, Connacht were only three points behind despite Toulon having the benefit of the elements. Unfortunately, the match officials missed what appeared to be a blatant knock on in the build up to what eventually amounted to ten minutes of added time. That period was monopolised by repeated Toulon five-yard scrums which led to the home team being penalised on numerous occasions.

The Connacht scrum was starting to wilt and tighthead Jamie Hagen, already officially warned, was replaced by Robbie Morris. Had they held out, the odds would have favoured the home team going on to achieve the province’s greatest ever victory, but Toulon remained patient and, eventually, they broke through for the only try of the evening thanks to centre Mali Kufu. It was a sickening time to concede, but Connacht didn’t let their heads drop.

Roared on by their fanatical supporters, they went on to carry the battle to Toulon on the resumption. Now, it was Connacht who were dominating territory and possession. They came close on a couple of occasions to breeching their opponents line, notably through Cronin, and Toulon were desperately hanging on, but that vital try remained elusive. In the end, only seven points separated them from the rising force of European rugby.

To a man, Connacht can feel justifiably proud of a Trojan effort. Naturally, they will be bitterly disappointed at the result, especially with both Munster and Leinster also coming to grief over the weekend – a scenario which eliminated the province’s last chance of securing Heineken Cup rugby next season. Muldoon and his team-mates deserved a better fate than that, but they have now laid a strong platform for next season.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.