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.