No real ball carriers as we've spoken about before so it's something we need to address.

the wind was all over the place, swirling wildly at times so not much surprise at the amount of misses. Both teams struggled to find touch and gary owens were a problem too. The biggest problem was that without kicking connacht had to run the ball and they just bounced off the glasgow forwards

No AFAIK they are there for the long haul. Its their training base as well. Perhaps they will go for the hybrid pitch like they are putting in murrayfield. They have one in Croke park but they are very expensive afaik. Even the dynamics of it is hard to get the head around. Plastic and grass mixed. It seems to work fine in corner anyway.

Thanks didn't know that. So do they intend to move again or have they just given up on that plan?

They can't have a 4g pitch because its a track and field athletics venue AFAIK. Its the main one in Scotland too now so its used a lot for that purpose from may to end of September.

Considering the conditions you have to give Ronaldson the benefit of the doubt. It was unfortunate but he's not that poor a kicker at the same time. It was pretty harsh that connacht had to go out and play on a pitch like that, although I suppose considering the state murrayfield was in perhaps they got off lightly. The Scots really have to consider their playing conditions, Glasgow have been talking about a 4g pitch and it can't come quick enough from the looks of things. Buckley just switched off at the crucial moment, and Lam must have been tearing his movember stache off at Carr going off his feet in such an obvious way.

Highlights here:



Only 2 of Ronaldson's misses shown, the first from our own half was never on, the second an absolute shocker from the 22.

Buckley got done very badly for the Glasgow try.

You have got to wonder what the problem with parks goal kicking. Is he not practising as much as he did at Glasgow? Age catches up with other parts of your game but not goalkicking. That's down to technique and trusting the process which comes through practise.

salmson wrote: Surprisingly, Glasgow away is the only game we *definitely* threw away through kicks this season: 2 from 5, left 9 points behind us, lost by 2. (3 league points forfeited).

Leinster home we scored 1/5, left 11 points behind us. 4/5 would have won or drawn the game, even 2/5 gives us a lbp (minimum 1 league point forfeited).

Scarlets at home (4/6, missed 5 points lost by 3) and Glasgow home (4/7, missed 9 points lost by 7) we'd have needed 100% to get the win, similarly Leinster away we'd have needed 100% for the draw (though the single miss there was a gimme, and Leinster's scrum drive at the end would have been for one match point not 3, and might not have happened).

Minimum kickers have cost us is 4 points and 1 win which would leave us breathing down Treviso's neck, on balance I reckon a proper kicker would also have won us one of Scarlets(h)/Glasgow(h)/Leinster(a), which is a 4th win, and another 3 points which would have us on 20 points in 10th.

It's a tricky business weighing the effects of missed kicks at goal on the outcome of a game because it's not just about the points. It's tough to measure the positive attitude created by rewarding good play and keeping the team either in front or at least withing one score as well as the demoralising feeling when these things don't happen. It certainly has felt like Connacht could have won 3-4 more games this season with a kicker that could manage a 75-80% success rate. I had really hoped that Parks would have been that kicker.

OldSchool wrote: They got 5 against the wind we got nothing. Going by Twitter we were on their 5m line and could not convert the pressure to points. A lot of games this year have been like that. Ireland have a simple game plan of playing the game in the opposition half, attack the break down and kick for the corners (very Munster) but it works. We have great young backs but giving them brick walls to run at. Let's get the big guys carrying up the middle and go from there

The worst part of this for me is losing by two points with two fly halves on the field and with all the pressure stated above neither ever got themselves in a good enough position for a drop goal? I realise they didn't know at that stage they'd lose by 2 but still.

My apologies the ultimate rugby app had Carthy down as first penalty.

Surprisingly, Glasgow away is the only game we *definitely* threw away through kicks this season: 2 from 5, left 9 points behind us, lost by 2. (3 league points forfeited).

Leinster home we scored 1/5, left 11 points behind us. 4/5 would have won or drawn the game, even 2/5 gives us a lbp (minimum 1 league point forfeited).

Scarlets at home (4/6, missed 5 points lost by 3) and Glasgow home (4/7, missed 9 points lost by 7) we'd have needed 100% to get the win, similarly Leinster away we'd have needed 100% for the draw (though the single miss there was a gimme, and Leinster's scrum drive at the end would have been for one match point not 3, and might not have happened).

Minimum kickers have cost us is 4 points and 1 win which would leave us breathing down Treviso's neck, on balance I reckon a proper kicker would also have won us one of Scarlets(h)/Glasgow(h)/Leinster(a), which is a 4th win, and another 3 points which would have us on 20 points in 10th.

I actually can't understand how these players practise kicking.
Ronaldson took them, carty didn't.
Long kick with wind was never on or even close.
Other 2 kicks were very very very kickable.
One on 22 just right, good side for left footer like Craig
Other one just outside 22 half way between midfield and touch line.
Ref had good game.
No word of a lie, we were in the Glasgow half for 38 mins of the first half.
We weren't under to much in second half really, not like they were in first.
Our scrum was great. Line out okay. A lot of injuries

Km again top class. Even Glasgow fans were asking who he was

Another game lost, should of, could of
I've made my mind up, alot needs to change, poor poor season
We barely deserve to be in pro12 let alone trying to get into Heineken

They got 5 against the wind we got nothing. Going by Twitter we were on their 5m line and could not convert the pressure to points. A lot of games this year have been like that. Ireland have a simple game plan of playing the game in the opposition half, attack the break down and kick for the corners (very Munster) but it works. We have great young backs but giving them brick walls to run at. Let's get the big guys carrying up the middle and go from there

It was blowing a gale, though, I wouldn't worry too much about the kicking percentage in this game.

As a whole our percentages just aren't good enough, though.

Connacht Twitter feed and Rabo matchcentre had Ronaldson taking all 5.

During the Saracens match one of the commentators mentioned that Parks' kicking ratio in the Rabo was just 55%. When you consider that most teams are getting minimum 75-80% (all the Rabo golden boot top 10 are over 80% and JJ Hanrahan is leading on 91%) then you've got to think missed kicks have cost us several games already this year.