Sports
Connacht should have enough to topple much-changed Treviso
As the dust continues to settle from last weekend’s home draw with Cardiff, the focus within the Connacht camp is now very much on this Friday’s trip to eastern Italy for a clash with Benetton Treviso at the Strada Di Nascimben (7pm Irish time).
The Pro12 season is a long slog from September to May and the hunt for a top six spot and European qualification has a lot of twists and turns ahead, but three points slipped away at the weekend as the westerners went from searching for a bonus point fourth try to letting a 14 point lead slip in 12 minutes against the wily visitors from the Welsh capital.
A great antidote for healing such wounds is another game within a week, as the team will have had little time to dwell on the missed opportunities. Pat Lam’s side will be targeting another four points this weekend against a Treviso side that are a pale shadow of the team which won 10 games two seasons ago and seemed on the cusp of a real breakthrough.
The turnover of players in the Treviso camp has been remarkable during the off-season. No less than 19 players left with 21 players coming in as the club came to terms with a different financial climate and a mass reduction in their budgets.
Key men have left such as Robert Barbieri (Leicester), Matthew Berquist (Hawkes Bay) Tobias Botes (Southern Kings), Lorenzo Cittadini (Wasps), Albert D Marchi (Sale) Leonardo Ghiraldini (Leicester), Luke McClearn (Sale) and Manoa Vosawai (Cardiff).
It is hard to fathom how they can recover from such an exodus of key frontline talent and the start to the season has reflected as much as they’ve lost all five games by an average margin of 25 points per game, scoring six tries and conceding a jaw-dropping 24.
The population of Treviso is roughly similar to Galway and minority sports are prominent with basketball also hugely popular. It is very much a rugby stronghold in Italy and unlike Parma where Zebre (the country’s other professional franchise) are based, the people of the region have embraced professional rugby from day one.
However, right now crowds are low as this hastily-assembled and very much depleted squad attempts to find some sort of level footing to kick start what should be a difficult rebuilding phase. They have fallen well behind Zebre in the pecking order which leaves them a long way further adrift of the main pack.
The problem for Connacht is that this is round six and the signs of improvement are now emanating from home team. The league leaders Glasgow discovered this last weekend leading only 19-16 at the break before eventually pulling clear after half time for a 41-23 win. Outside centre Michael Campagnaro, who has nine caps for Italy, scored two tries, Australian full back Jayden Hayward was accurate with the boot.
The other strengths for Treviso hail in the pack where 20-cap Italian David Giazzon will be strong at hooker; lock Antonio Pavanello will disrupt the Connacht lineout; and 26 year old Italian international flanker Simon Favaro will be a key man in the back row. Scrum half Edoardo Gori has 34 caps for Italy and marshals the troops well.
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.
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.
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.
Families queue up for school’s offer of free house
West has lower cancer survival rates than rest
Galway minors continue to lay waste to all opponents
Gardaí and IFA issue a joint appeal on summer road safety
Marathon Man plans to call a halt – but not before he hits 160 races
