Toulouse v Connacht

So now all is right in the world? Like I said when we win 5 or 6 out of 7/8 games I'll start to believe. Great that we got it right yesterday, need to see it week in week out which we haven't yet - that's why we are bottom of the table. If yesterday's win is down to him then so are all the miserable losses we've had so far, you can't have it both ways

murph13 wrote: So now all is right in the world? Like I said when we win 5 or 6 out of 7/8 games I'll start to believe. Great that we got it right yesterday, need to see it week in week out which we haven't yet - that's why we are bottom of the table. If yesterday's win is down to him then so are all the miserable losses we've had so far, you can't have it both ways

Nobody said that. But we've been kicking them down especially the last two weeks after two poor performances. It is only right you praise them, as you criticise when they play badly, when they pull off as remarkable a result and get it spot on tactically.

Fantastic performance by Connacht. Congratulations to all concerned. Set-piece-both scrum & lineout- immense and it shows what our backs are capable of with quality possession.
Roll on next Saturday- and let's do the double!!

ConnachtCows wrote: They had plans set by the coaches, and they followed them, and it worked.

Like constantly going wide to run the arses off the Toulouse fatties? Like not going for touch with clearance kicks so said fatties couldn't draw breadth? Like repeatedly and mercilessly targeting Hosea Gear's defence off setpiece?

Lam, Dan, and co. got it spot on. Even to the extent that Picamoles and Johnson were taackled high, yards conceded but offload prevented, while the other forwards were hit low.

Anyway, don't take my word for it, ask Dusatoir what he thnks.

Ladies - today is not about the haters

No one believes that this result says 'everything fine now in the universe ' . We all know our position in the Rabo & some of the performances we have been subjected to recently. But what yesterday says, is that great ability (which they have) combined with a little luck (which they rarely have) and some good planning by the coaches (sometimes I wonder myself ) proves that we should be at the top table of European Rugby. It beholds all of us - supporters , players , management and business developers - to ensure that a top quality performance is given each & every time Connacht step out onto the pitch. The 'poor little us' syndrome should be obliterated and Connacht must use the confidence generated from yesterday as a platform for strategic growth on & off the pitch.

Front up Rise up - it actually DOES mean something to all of us & I cannot wait from Saturday !!! C'mon , lets be having you...............

murph13 wrote: I've no doubt I'll get shot down in flames for this, especially after our best win ever, but we have to keep realistic. We have always been capable of pulling out amazing backs to the wall one off performances when everything is against us, Quins, Biarritz in the last two years prove that.
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Back to earth people, this was down to traditional Connacht spirit and guts not Pat Lam.

When they lose its the coaches fault but when they win he had nothing to do with it? Begrudgery and can't admit you were wrong. This Conn team have been building to this performance all year.

This win is nothing like the squeaky win against Quins in the torrential rain or the admittedly great win over a limited and past it Biarritz. This was Toulouse in France, get some perspective - Ulster only won their first game in France THIS YEAR.

And not only did Connacht win but they did it using all of the skills and gameplay elements that we have seen Lam instilling in this team and by dominating Toulouse of all teams for the majority of the game.

If you want to compare it to previous games compare it to the three inter-pros where Conn were nilled last year, or the Quins and Biarritz and Toulouse away games of the last couple of years and if you can't see or admit that this was a big step forward then that's your problem.

mareegoo wrote: great win but i might get jaws dropping for saying this and i hope the connacht players are reading this - but it should be expected.

Noone expects to win in Toulouse - no one.

A lot of people are praising Elwood's influence on the team and that's fine and shouldn't be forgotten but people also have to be honest with themselves and admit that even with the new additions to the team like Clarke and Heenan Connacht were unlikely to ever play the way they did yesterday under Elwood. Lam has a different vision for the province and is having a positive impact on the team.

salmson wrote:

ConnachtCows wrote: They had plans set by the coaches, and they followed them, and it worked.

Like constantly going wide to run the arses off the Toulouse fatties? Like not going for touch with clearance kicks so said fatties couldn't draw breadth? Like repeatedly and mercilessly targeting Hosea Gear's defence off setpiece?

Lam, Dan, and co. got it spot on. Even to the extent that Picamoles and Johnson were taackled high, yards conceded but offload prevented, while the other forwards were hit low.

Anyway, don't take my word for it, ask Dusatoir what he thnks.

Im not sure if there is some sarcasm in your post or not, but I spoke with Dave McSharry for a few minutes in the airport, and he said that one of their main aims was to spread the ball fast. They know that they are fitter than Toulouse, and wanted to use that to their advantage.

One other thing I picked up from the players, is that there were no serious knocks from the game. Swifty got a nice black eye, but that came from, as he said himself, tackling with his face. I think it was Mick Kearney who picked up a slight dead leg, and Marmion went off with cramp near the end.
They're all ready to go for next weekend again

ConnachtCows wrote: Im not sure if there is some sarcasm in your post or not

Not a jot. I'm just annoyed at the the "not tactics, just Connacht heart" faction. "Connacht heart" has seen us beat out the gate in away games for years. It's been ugly at times but Lam is definitely trying to expand our game and up our skillset.

salmson wrote:

ConnachtCows wrote: Im not sure if there is some sarcasm in your post or not

Not a jot. I'm just annoyed at the the "not tactics, just Connacht heart" faction. "Connacht heart" has seen us beat out the gate in away games for years. It's been ugly at times but Lam is definitely trying to expand our game and up our skillset.

I'm in agreement with you

On the way to work this morning,listening to radio in the car .

Totally unrelated,but they started playing "You'll never walk alone " I was nearly in tears.Just got a bite to eat in O'Briens and was also nearly in tears .So think I could see a Labrador talking a shit and i'd probably well up.

Point i'm making ,is that it's a wonderful Monday .Never in the History of Rugby (not that i'm aware ) has there ever been such a result.Duiseteor's word's were open and honest ,and seemed very sincere and arguably mean more coming from such a world class player .We beat them folks and there was no luck involved .

Whatever about Lam etc blah blah is for another day .Let's enjoy this day ,we deserve it .Fair dues to the fans that went to France .They went for the love of their team .Bookies had Toulouse at 1/200 to win .Can't wait till Saturday !!!!

Murph13, I'll agree Lam should not be canonised or elected coach for life on the back of a single performance, but if this is the kind of result the team can get following his tactics when they put in the tackles, keep down the penalties and make the passes than he just might be the coach to bring Connacht to the next level. The point I was making after the Edinburgh game when a lot of posters were calling for Lam to be dropped was that until the players started to execute even the most basic skills of the game like passing, kicking and tackling than it wasn't fair to judge him on less than half of a season. Muldoon said as much himself, the players had to step it up themselves.

Let's give Pat at least until closer to the end of his contract before we start picking out his successor. I image the team's performance will fall somewhere between the two extremes of the past two games. I'm hoping it will be closer to the Toulouse performance, if the average over the next season and a half is closer to the Edinburgh game than I'll come over and drive Pat to Shannon myself.

Anyone got any better highlights?

"According to the French and the English, sides like Connacht (who only qualified because Leinster won the Amlin) do not merit a place in Europe's elite club competition. Given the jolly green giants of Galway have now beaten Harlequins, Biarritz and Toulouse inside the past 23 months, such lofty assumptions of supremacy grow shakier by the day."

www.theguardian.com/sport/2013/dec/09/to...-rugby?commentpage=1

Seems we're softened a few coughs in the Grauniad too. Good job all round.