Emotions set to run high as Elwood exits Sportsground

Rob Murphy

CONNACHT conclude their RaboDirect Pro12 season this Friday night at the Sportsground (7:45) against play-off bound Glasgow Warriors who are seeking a win to keep their home semi final hopes very much alive.

The curtain will come down on Eric Elwood’s three year tenure at the helm of Connacht rugby and a 24 year unbroken involvement with provincial rugby in the west of Ireland. It is sure to be an emotional and highly charged night.

For Elwood, the season will feel like progress in the big picture but Saturday’s result will be important as Connacht can reach nine wins in Celtic League or Pro12 rugby for the first time and have a shot at equalling their highest finish of eighth in the table.

Last weekend’s draw in Treviso was borne out of a performance full of the character and endeavour that has become synonymous with the team’s displays since he took charge. This year, on their travels it has paid off with three Pro12 wins and a draw from their eight trips outside of Ireland. Again, a record.

In between all that was their strong Heineken Cup performances, as for a second season in a row, Connacht stood up to the monumental challenge and performed well. The heavy and dispiriting loss in Harlequins was the one exception to that but over 12 games and two seasons, the men from the west have been competitive and tenacious against all manner of opponents.

Three wins this season, including a memorable night at the Sportsground in December when Serge Blanco’s Biarritz were put to the sword, represents a solid return. The defeat on the atlantic coast in Basque country the following week, however, will be a result that rankles for Elwood and co, 17-0 but played in horrendous conditions that made a lottery of the contest.

Problems remain. Connacht are not competitive against Irish provinces overall, bar the odd sparky home performance – this year’s thundering win over Leinster falls into that category – and that just won’t get it done in the long run. Three away defeats within Ireland without evening mustering a point on the scoreboard underlined this problem during the campaign.

It was always going to take time and this is a young side in it for the long haul. Denis Buckley, Mick Kearney, Eoin McKeon, Kieran Marmion, Eoin Griffin, Robbie Henshaw are all at the very start of their careers and have established themselves as Pro12 regulars already. They are part of the future.

Nathan White has been a great addition to the pack, but more front row resources are needed. Ronan Loughney, Andrew Brown, John Muldoon, Michael Swift and Gavin Duffy are the core pieces. Kiwi Super Rugby star Craig Clarke will hopefully provide a strong alternative to the departing Mike McCarthy.

For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.