swifty at 6?!! your having a laugh

hows about a proper pick and go team:

white henry wilko loughs rael ah you muldowney clarke swifty muldoon heenan browne heffernan jp cooney and parks 14 pick and goers and parks to slot the peno's and hide away from the tackles as he usually does lol

1.Wilko 2.Henry 3.White 4.Clarke 5 Muldowney 6 Swift 7 Heenan 8.Naoupu

9.Marmiom 10.Parks 12.Griffin 13.Pooleman 14 Carr 11 Healy 15 Henshaw


love to see this team

Problem with Rossie's team selection is that Buckley has a shoulder injury and McKeown has an undiagnosed injury of some sort. The general principle - if you're going to go wide to talented backs make sure your forwards can keep up with them - is unarguable.

rossie wrote: 1. Buckley
2. Henry.
3. White.
4. Muldowney.
5. Clarke.
6. Browne.
7. Heenan.
8. McKeon.
9. Marmion.
10. Parks.
11. Healy.
12. Pool man.
13. Griffin
14. Carr.
15. Henshaw.

Subs- real, wilko, ploughs, Kearney, muldoon, pod, ronldson, Duffy.

For me that team has ball carrying, mobility, lineout options, pace and strength at back. Everything that was missing against ulster. I had sympathy for henry at lineout as there was so many bodies in the air. I think he's good around pitch as is Buckley,, muldowney, brown and McKeon.
Griffin is a good player but is physically better suited to 13. Pool man is a bigger stronger man and offers more penetration from 12 IMO. He Shaw was player of the season at fb last yr and has to return there. Parks needs to take responsibility and play what's in frontof him. GGame plans are all well and good but he has to direct game as he sees it on the pitch in front of him. He needs to improve kicking average also. That's his bread and butter.

I support this motion :lol:

1. Buckley
2. Henry.
3. White.
4. Muldowney.
5. Clarke.
6. Browne.
7. Heenan.
8. McKeon.
9. Marmion.
10. Parks.
11. Healy.
12. Pool man.
13. Griffin
14. Carr.
15. Henshaw.

Subs- real, wilko, ploughs, Kearney, muldoon, pod, ronldson, Duffy.

For me that team has ball carrying, mobility, lineout options, pace and strength at back. Everything that was missing against ulster. I had sympathy for henry at lineout as there was so many bodies in the air. I think he's good around pitch as is Buckley,, muldowney, brown and McKeon.
Griffin is a good player but is physically better suited to 13. Pool man is a bigger stronger man and offers more penetration from 12 IMO. He Shaw was player of the season at fb last yr and has to return there. Parks needs to take responsibility and play what's in frontof him. GGame plans are all well and good but he has to direct game as he sees it on the pitch in front of him. He needs to improve kicking average also. That's his bread and butter.

Lam tends to watch the game from the sidelines mostly, he was walking the main stand line for a while and behind the bohermore end for a while. He was jogging across the pitch at half time to the dressing room talking to his other coaches

fatgav wrote: Spotted Joe Schmidt and someone else in what was the Connacht technical area last year... Where is Pat Lam watching the games? He wasn't there for Zebre and didn't see him on the bench either.

Les Kiss was with him.

ConnachtCows wrote: My understanding is that he's over in the Main Stand

TV coverage showed him several times hanging out one of those windows right at the top of the Main Stand.

My understanding is that he's over in the Main Stand

Spotted Joe Schmidt and someone else in what was the Connacht technical area last year... Where is Pat Lam watching the games? He wasn't there for Zebre and didn't see him on the bench either.

illplaybymyself wrote: This has probably been answered already but where is so'oialo

As of several weeks ago he was still in Wellington, visa issues to blame apparently. No news since on when/if they'll be resolved, or if it's us, the Dept. of Foreign Affairs, or the player himself that is to blame.

This has probably been answered already but where is so'oialo

Bright spots for me were the performances of Heenan, Wullie and Healy. Starting front row held their own pretty comfortably I thought too.

Dan Parks (despite the try last night) has never been a running flyhalf (ever), so why we as last season we persist with either him or a game-plan that does not play to his strengths is completely beyond me.

We as we have on far too many occasions in games just drift possession over and back across the field, making easy targets for the Ulster defence. Why we didn't put the pressure on Ulster to play by kicking to the corners and attacking their set pieces is beyond me, especially at home when the crowd can get onto the oppo. Tactically it's like watching fecking Mini-Rugby the lack of thought that seems to go into our style of play vs our resources/selections.

For me So'ialo can't arrive quickly enough if we're persisting with Henshaw at 13. Gav offers no attacking threat at 15, he's actually a better footballer than Henshaw or Griff but for some reason Connacht refuse to utilise his hands in the midfield.

Fionn Carr has to be given the freedom to roam in attack, he's at his best when he comes infield looking for the ball and trying to isolate a flat footed forward with his footwork. But get him on the fecking ball and not just at the end of some slow attack drifting to the touchline again.

We still have the same issues as when Henry Fa'afili was playing centre and cutting up defences, our support players are too far away and rarely get on the supporting shoulder looking for the offload to keep the ball off the deck and the oppo defence retreating.

Mul is not an eight, never has been. Too slow off the back of the scrum, and critically lacks control at the base when the scrum isn't steady, and doesn't have the hands for eight either. If McKeown is out then it has to be George and I'd have Browner as backup every time. Leave Mul to do what he does best, beasting opponents from six.

Swifty is a bench player if we are to play a fast game, and build up the pace of the game to stretch our opponents and make space for our attack. He's got a massive heart and put's everything in but I'd rather have him on the bench for when we need to tighten up a game we're leading in...

mareegoo wrote: 1. Buckley
2. JHW (like to see Heffernan as back up, has good potential)
3. White
4. Browne/Muldowney
5. Clarke
6. Heenan
7. Faloon
8. Fifita
9. Marmion (be nice to see Walsh given little bit of game time)
10. Ronaldson (Parks to close out game)
11. Healy
12. McSharry
13. Henshaw
14. Carr
15. So'oialo



not a bad team devils own but harris wright,faloon,mchaz all out

s'ooialo could be an option at 15 and for kicking duties if dan isnt performing

Thanks,
ya so'oialo seems a decent kicker could be important as parks form in that area is not good right now. Tonetti or poolman might be able to do a good job at 12 until Mcsharry gets back. The backrow and second row need to be very comfortable with ball in hand, quick to a breakdown and in support aswell as being physical in order to get the continuity required to play the game lam wants. So i think a backrow of Faloon, heenan and fifta along with a second of clark and browne/muldowney might have the mobility/skill set and stamina required. Then a back three of carr, healy and so'oialo would be pretty dangerous to kick to. Henshaw and mcsharry/tonetti/poolman are decent centres although henshaw needs more experience. 10 is a problem but then again jackson and keatley are not very high quality either.

tomsauce you have to leave loyalties aside!!


swifty and muls give us no go forward etc far far too predictable they are easy video analysis for the opposing team - if we pick and go and maul etc with them then we can grind out a few results but no way do they suit a fast running game....horses for courses etc

duffy cannot line break... simple as.... compare him to henshaw runnig from deep again he's better playing the tight game with muls and swifty

its heartbreaking but we have to have forwards who can adapt they can't

1. Buckley
2. JHW (like to see Heffernan as back up, has good potential)
3. White
4. Browne/Muldowney
5. Clarke
6. Heenan
7. Faloon
8. Fifita
9. Marmion (be nice to see Walsh given little bit of game time)
10. Ronaldson (Parks to close out game)
11. Healy
12. McSharry
13. Henshaw
14. Carr
15. So'oialo



not a bad team devils own but harris wright,faloon,mchaz all out

s'ooialo could be an option at 15 and for kicking duties if dan isnt performing