Easy for Exiles against second string Connacht

Date Published: 20-Jan-2009

THE players are blameless for this. They won’t feel that way but the incredible reality to emerge from Saturday’s unmerciful massacre at the Madejski Stadium is that nothing was left out on the field by a battling but overawed second string Connacht.

One might think that such a result is a clear reflection of Connacht’s poor strength in depth but is there really a team anywhere in Europe that could rest 12 front liners and expect anything other than a hammering at the home of the Guinness Premiership leaders?

Maybe Michael Bradley is right, maybe a win next week against the Dax reserves will justify the ends and vindication will be bestowed on the Connacht head coach. Maybe such hammerings don’t matter in the greater scheme of things when Connacht are coming out with some of the big home performances they have managed in this bizarre season.

Let’s not harp on about the scoreline or some of depressing facts to emerge from this non-contest and leave all that for the final words. Instead let’s stress one key point. No player who played on Saturday should be judged on his performance.

It would be incredibly unfair to make an assessment of their ability since they were all slotted into a side with no previous pedigree to build on.

Six or seven changes would have allowed the likes of Andrew Browne, Daniel Riordan and John Hearty to merge with the current first choice players and demonstrate their ability within the current Connacht system. However, with…