Sports
Connacht primed for huge performance against Glasgow in PRO12 semi-final
AHEAD of their historic Guinness Pro 12 semi-final against Glasgow Warriors at a sold-out Sportsground on Saturday (6.30pm), Connacht will do what they always do prior to every game.
Just before the referee blows the whistle to signal to players it’s time to leave the dressing room and take to the field, Connacht, according to head coach Pat Lam, will stand, joined together, arm-in-arm in a huddle.
Self-assured that they can – and will – win, the players “will look at each other,” says the Samoan boss.
“And their belief is based not on ‘roar, roar’ belief, it’s based on ‘I know you well, I know what my job is, I know what we’ve got to do to win and I trust you’. That’s where the confidence and belief really comes strong.”
Aside from the momentous 14-7 victory over the Scots last Saturday week at College Road, Pat Lam’s Connacht had failed to beat Glasgow in the league. Can lightning strike twice in a fortnight?
Lam and his Connacht outfit that oozes confidence, certainly think so. This optimism is grounded in remaining true to his ‘process’, a concept Lam repeats in every media interview he has given since arriving in Galway.
So even though Lam admits this is “the biggest game in our history”, preparations didn’t alter. Connacht stuck to the tried and trusted ‘process’.
“The only way we get a chance to win is to go back and treat the week as a normal week. That’s how it’s always worked for us. We haven’t done anything special, gone on a camp or anything last week. It’s just another day; another game. We’ve got a great chance to win,” he says.
Preparations may not have changed but training has certainly intensified. Standards have been ratcheted up again – they’ve had to.
Lam knows there is ample scope for improvement in Glasgow, who were down to 14-men for a large chunk of the last match, and could have earned a draw.
“They are a quality side. They will be better. They’ll come here backing themselves and that’s why we challenged ourselves straight after the game. It’s on us as a coaching group and management team to make sure that we are spot-on with all our planning, and the environment we create. And then the players can go out there and not only enjoy the day, but really train well and prepare well. I’ve already seen that standard raised.”
Playing the same team in a row is never easy. But in order to reap a repeat result, Connacht has a few tricks up their sleeve, and will mix it up.
“We have to fire shots,” insists Lam. “There’s no point playing these games safely. You’ve got to put them under pressure. The object of the game is to score more points. To do that you’ve got to have something up your sleeve and we’ll have that alright.
“We don’t want to be known as that team that runs everything, or that kicks everything. You’ve got to have a game plan that has structures to attack from anywhere and defend from anywhere. Then it’s down to the players to have the execution.”
This is a momentous match, and competition to make the starting XV, which will be announced noon Friday, will be more intense than ever.
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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