Saracens V Connacht 18th January 13.35

I doubt this is the vision that Eric had for his beloved Connacht this time last year when he decided it was time to step aside! I'm a long time supporter and I can tell you it's getting harder and harder to justify taking time off work and doing a 200km round trip to watch this crap!!

Actually make that 260km round trip!!

If lam had started carty and leader and we took a hammering like that that would be a huge setback in the development of those players which we can't afford.

Pack were muck lazy and without a hint of aggression, but don't really know who else could have played. George has been shite this season so wouldn't have started him. It's obvious we don't have the big ball carriers you need at the top level.

Hopefully not the hino cup fantasy is well and truly we can sort out our league position

Anyone know if Robbie was injured? Fionn injured, Matt injured, Gavin(?), Robbie (?). Good job there's no match next weekend!

Always hard to know what to say after a game like that, I did not fancy a win but hoped that the scoreline could have been avoided. I would point out that the Saracens put a massive score past Leicester Tigers on their plastic pitch (which does give them a huge home advantage) in the Aviva Premiership earlier this season. It can happen. They are a good side and home advantage is massive in these games.

The Eagles won today 12-10 (think that as final score) and they have had their drubbings this year. You dust yourself down, you move on, it's all you can do.

murph13 wrote: For all those who have had a pop at me for saying Lam needs to go I'd love to know what ye are thinking now,

I'm thinking how you couldn't bring yourself to credit Lam for the Toulouse result, but how this is all on him

ummm - have a look at what has happened this season and tell me if you're happy with Lam. Do you think his selection has been good? Do you think our tactics are sound? Do you think we have looked motivated in every game? Do you think we have a proper game plan? Do you think players have developed under Lam? Do you understand why we regularly fail to score for 40, 50 60 minutes+ in many games? Do you like us being on the bottom of the Rabo after considerable investment in the squad?

Ask yourself ultimately who is to blame and you'll get where I'm coming from.

You think I haven't asked myself those question? I'll let my feelings known later when emotions have settled.

Utterly humiliating. There's no getting around it. I'm sure the 'Lam out' brigade will be out in full force now but the players have to take a huge amount of responsibility here. Especially the more experienced ones. What White did was a disgrace and just compounds the embarrassment. One of the worst days I've ever had supporting Connacht Rugby.

If anything, this result has shown the two biggest losses of Connacht personnel have been Millard and Forshaw. Not being able (allowed?) to replace our defence and backs coach has doubled our problems, we're scoring less and conceding more.

Mental strength is also missing, the try in the last minute of the first half seemed inevitable, 40 minutes of leaving it up to everyone else followed on from there

Connacht have been threatening a performance like this all season, they already have done to an extent against Ospreys and Edinburgh but this was obviously a different level.

In the first few minutes I thought Parks and Duffy seemed up for this, but after a few things went wrong they receded into themselves and it just got worse and worse as the game progressed.

The defense was the complete opposite of the Toulouse game which coupled with a good 10 bringing his big forwards onto the ball at speed was just horrendous. Parks went deeper and deeper throughout the game until near the time he was subbed he was almost at fullback receiving the ball from Marmion.
The most threatening moments of the game came about when Henshaw, Carr or anyone but Parks stood in at first receiver which just further underlined the liability Parks is at this point.

There might have been some justification for giving Parks, Duffy and Swift their chance to have one last big european game but the first two at least are just beyond a ROG v Clermont performance. Literally seconds before Healy was injured I was thinking we might have to call on him as scrum half cover during the six nations while Marmion is away. Hope its not serious, looked like a strained oblique/ab muscle just based on what he was grabbing.

White needs some time out, however with Rodney away for a few weeks he'll have to bench.

The game itself just highlighted all the problems that have been discussed here since the Leinster game and before; no big ball carrying forward of note, average Rabo-level hookers (both carrying knocks?), a poor defensive plan and a 10 who is unwilling to attack.

Simply can't understand why the lads weren't up for the game. Team selection would not have affected the result. In the year to date I have not seen the pack so outplayed. And to compound it the backs left gaping holes everywhere. A lot of soul searching required. Maybe the players mentally are not where they should be. The strange squad selection without carty, followed by a u-turn just before kickoff surely must impact the players confidence. If the coach is messing players around like that, it must be hard to know whats happening. Toh must simply love lam.

Think too much is being made about Lam's decision on Carty and the bench selection. A more likely reason was that Carty pick up a minor injury in practice and came good for the game.

I think the first try of the 2nd half is my reason for not agreeing with removing Lam. Healy, Connacht's pick of a poor lot, makes a good run, kick, then chase. He forces the man laterally across the field but no one else comes up with any conviction so the Saracens easily work the ball for a try. The players have to shoulder a lot of the blame. Is Lam faultless? No, but he shouldn't have to trying to coach desire or the basics to players at this level and he can only select players available to him.

Not sure what White was thinking, he will be cited. If his foot hit Barritt's face it was just a glancing blow, but it was completely unnecessary & will be view a reckless.

People can blame Lam's selection all they want but this one is on the players. They just didn't show up. So many missed tackles and such a lack of urgency in defence, it was embarrassing to watch. They have damaged the reputation of the club with that performance.

So the players have lost their desire. Just going on human emotions how does carty feel about taking toh's position on the bench. Likewise how does toh feel. How does the rest of the team feel about this shenanigans. And lam is not to blame. All he had to do was pick a sensible squad in the first place with carty included. Nobody would have objected. Utterly stupid antics by coach reflected by utterly lame performance by team

Thats just beyond pathetic, ashamed to call myself a Connacht man after that total rubbish and even I am at my limit now,

+1

White stamped on a lads head and got in on the cheek was very lucky it wasn't a red. Healy and Carr injured and worse performance I've seen in a while. I was watching this in a pub in Kerry as I'm visiting the parents and I was embarrassed to be a Connacht supporter for the first time ever.

I don't accept that viewpoint whatsoever. Met a buddy of mine some days back who is a professional player. He lives and breathes this stuff. He doesn't go out on a Saturday night. He gets a number of weeks off each year. So good for you in your pub in Kerry. The only work you had to do was train your eyes on a TV screen. If you want to be critical then please be constructively critical. All of us are hurting but your post does not help