Connacht raise the roof in terrific Murrayfield show

Inside Track with John McIntyre

IT might not carry the emotional heft associated with Galway hurlers’ long-awaited All-Ireland triumph in 1980, but Connacht’s landmark achievement at Murrayfield last Saturday was undoubtedly one of the most seismic occasions in the history of West of Ireland sport. An extraordinary day which sent shivers down the spine.

Not even the province’s most dyed-in-the-wool supporter could have believed that Connacht would ever get to this level: the minnows from the West being crowned Pro12 champions. Understandable 50/1 outsiders at the start of the campaign, their relentless and startling progress over recent months has almost stretched the bounds of credulity. As sporting fairytales go, they don’t come much better than this . . . unless you from Leicester.

In the context of Connacht’s success-starved 131-year history, what unfolded at the home of Scottish rugby was astonishing. To inflict a comprehensive 20-10 defeat on the glamour boys of Leinster in an unfamiliar pressurised environment was the perfect finale to a season which Pat Lam’s squad have taken by storm. As the stakes and the games got bigger, many were waiting for Connacht to fail. Instead, they got stronger.

There was no implosion, not even a hint of it. With their cover long blown and their adventurous style of running rugby winning truckloads of new supporters with every passing week, Connacht not alone survived each fresh challenge thrown at them, particularly those two huge matches against champions Glasgow in the space of a fortnight, they actually visibly grew in stature and, seemingly, not in the least fazed by the glare of unprecedented media coverage and associated hype.

It’s still hard to put into perspective the scale of Connacht’s achievement. For decades, they were the classic no hopers; the also rans. They were once nearly decommissioned by the IRFU, but there was enough proud rugby people in the province to ensure the sport’s governing body backed down. Sure, there have been some fraught years since that protest march in Dublin in January of 2003, but it still marked a turning point in the history of the game out West. Their team doesn’t have to be successful for supporters to care.

During Lam’s second season in charge, there were hints that Connacht were onto something, but nobody could have envisaged their transformation since last October despite some serious injury disruption earlier in the campaign. It was almost as though the players were given a licence to thrill and how they have thrived in such an atmosphere. They won 15 of their regular 22 league games, while several of those seven defeats were in the unlucky category. Connacht have delivered in the odd big game before, but it was the consistency and high standard of performance which has elevated them to a completely different level.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.