Sportsground goes bananas after latest epic victory by table toppers Connacht

HEAD coach Pat Lam and the Connacht squad must be tired of pinching themselves, wondering when they’ll wake up from this fairytale. But they’re living the dream.

Everyone else ponders when the wheels will inevitably fall off the wagon. Last Saturday, against Leinster, was the day surely it would happen. It didn’t.

Despite a less than perfect performance, Connacht displayed fortitude and a mental resolve to score a massive, massive 7-6 win in the derby.

The Sportsground went bananas. Full-on bananas. The foundations on Clan Terrace shook. Supporters leapt and roared and screamed and shouted and hugged and shouted some more.

The wagon rolls on. And it’s gathering momentum. Maybe now everyone can accept that it isn’t going to collapse. This is the real deal.

The season target of qualifying for the Champions Cup with a top six league finish is all but in the bag. A top four spot, which would guarantee a league semi-final is probable; and a home semi-final – secured with a top-two finish – is becoming increasingly likely.

We’re almost afraid to say it for fear of jinxing them but the reality is this: perched atop of the league table, four points ahead of their nearest rivals, and just four rounds remaining, Connacht have now readjusted their season’s expectations upwards.

Reassuringly, Lam isn’t getting carried away. Lam doesn’t do carried away. “It was emotional afterwards because you had to celebrate the victory (over Leinster) and the work that was put in. But by the time we got back to the changing room after the game it was pretty much, feet on the ground, talking about Ulster and the six day turnaround,” said Lam.

If a trip to Ravenhill, where Connacht hasn’t won in 56 years, doesn’t ground you, the number 10 injury crisis certainly brings a dose of reality.

Connacht’s worst fears were realised when it was confirmed AJ MacGinty is out for a month with a shoulder injury. With Craig Ronaldson not back for another three weeks, and Jack Carty at least a fortnight away from resuming full-contact training, Connacht are down to fourth and fifth choice fly-halves, Shane O’Leary and Conor McKeon.

“It’s sort of a killer blow but that’s life . . . You can’t cry over that, you’ve just got to move on and the next person puts the jersey on and steps into the role,” insisted Lam on Monday.

The previous week, during the press conference to preview the Leinster match, Lam noted that O’Leary and McKeon were “bursting” to get an opportunity. Well, now’s their chance.

O’Leary, who has made six league appearances from the bench, including coming on last weekend, is poised for a first start against the Ulstermen.

“The main thing is understanding the role and what needs to happen. The next person comes in and puts on that jersey and it’s his job to do it,” said Lam, who insisted his game plan is ‘simple’ and so versatile players are able to adapt to different positions.

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