eezipc wrote: Also in levels of importance to the team, I would put Henshaw behind Aki, Muldoon, Bealham, Dillane maybe more.

You're forgetting Marmion. He's the timing cog that makes the whole machine work.

Munster friend of mine was very complimentary after the game about how Lam has (literally) removed Henshaw from the centre of the team by deploying him mostly at fullback. In truth the Munster game was the first time he's played really well since he returned from the 6 nations, he's been alright (Leinster) to mediocre (Ulster) to really really poor (Grenoble) recently. Seems to look for contact unnecessarily and at times seems to hesitate as if he can't remember the move he's supposed to execute, but I think that could be down to 2 months of bishbosh with Ireland (rather than him not caring/having left the building/being unprofessional).

borders5 wrote:

Darragh wrote: I am really enjoying some of the media stuff out there. Granted it is not all wonderful, but the provincial bias impacts the pundit and journalist also sadly.

I am extremely proud of what is going on in Connacht. I dream big and hope it is only the beginning.

I think one of the most interesting aspects is the Henshaw departure. If he had to decide now, what would he do?

Also and much more importantly, Henshaw was a wonderful development success story here, but we actually have another 5 or 6 stories just as significant and more emerging.

That is the nicest thing about this season. In the past Henshaw leaving would be quite crippling, but today, it is not so severe.

Although I do wish he had had the heart to stay. I even had a dream the other night that he told the IRFU he changed his mind!!

I also wonder if he would change his mind.

This might sound like sour grapes, but of all the players to leave this year Henshaw is not the most important.
I think Muldowney is a bigger loss. Also in levels of importance to the team, I would put Henshaw behind Aki, Muldoon, Bealham, Dillane maybe more.

Darragh wrote: I am really enjoying some of the media stuff out there. Granted it is not all wonderful, but the provincial bias impacts the pundit and journalist also sadly.

I am extremely proud of what is going on in Connacht. I dream big and hope it is only the beginning.

I think one of the most interesting aspects is the Henshaw departure. If he had to decide now, what would he do?

Also and much more importantly, Henshaw was a wonderful development success story here, but we actually have another 5 or 6 stories just as significant and more emerging.

That is the nicest thing about this season. In the past Henshaw leaving would be quite crippling, but today, it is not so severe.

Although I do wish he had had the heart to stay. I even had a dream the other night that he told the IRFU he changed his mind!!

I also wonder if he would change his mind.

I am really enjoying some of the media stuff out there. Granted it is not all wonderful, but the provincial bias impacts the pundit and journalist also sadly.

I am extremely proud of what is going on in Connacht. I dream big and hope it is only the beginning.

I think one of the most interesting aspects is the Henshaw departure. If he had to decide now, what would he do?

Also and much more importantly, Henshaw was a wonderful development success story here, but we actually have another 5 or 6 stories just as significant and more emerging.

That is the nicest thing about this season. In the past Henshaw leaving would be quite crippling, but today, it is not so severe.

Although I do wish he had had the heart to stay. I even had a dream the other night that he told the IRFU he changed his mind!!

Times article as requested:

It remains the perfect sporting irony, how the organisation who administered the last rites should end up as being the body responsible for a rebirth. Only in Ireland could a story like this be told.

It begins 14 years ago, the year the IRFU accountants were ripping Connacht’s balance sheet to shreds, long before Bundee Aki was tearing the Munster defence apart. Way back then, the team who are quite clearly streets ahead of Munster this season were in danger of being wiped off the rugby map by the very people who were meant to be the game’s protectors.

It seemed to make sense. Rugby, after all, had turned professional in 1995 and within seven years of entering this brave new world, costs were rising alarmingly to the point where a €10.9 million deficit was predicted for the two-year period between 2002 and 2004. “One of the major issues we have to face is the number of professional players that, one, we can afford to pay, and secondly, that we have in the country,” Philip Browne, the IRFU Chief Executive Officer, said at the time.

In other words, cuts were needed and the handiest way to shave numbers off the workforce was to get rid of one team. So why not erase the weakest one — the province who had never won the inter-provincial championship and who provided fewer players to the international team than everyone else?

It was that simple. Wasn’t it?

They soon found out the hard way that it was actually quite complicated. Politicians got involved. Protest events were organised in Galway. And last, but best, of all, on a cold February afternoon, a march took place from St Stephen’s Green to the IRFU’s offices in Lansdowne Road.

Some 2,000 people walked the Dublin streets that day, considerably more than the attendances at several of Connacht’s games that season. The PR battle was edging Connacht’s way before victory was finally confirmed in the aftermath of a speech that John O’Donoghue, the then sports minister, made to the Seanad. “He said that it was inappropriate for Government funding of the IRFU to be withdrawn, either through the annual Sports Council grant of over €3.75 million or via capital funding from his own department,” wrote Brendan Fanning in his seminal book on Irish rugby, From There to Here. “The fact he touched on these issues was disconcerting for the union.”

Faced with public discord – and a potential cut in public funding — inevitably they backed down. Connacht got to live again.

Aki has had a superb season and was key again in the win over Munster
LORRAINE O’SULLIVAN/INPHO
Now, more than a decade later, they really are living the high life. Second in the league, they are winning commercially, too. ‘Sold Out’ signs get posted on the Sportsground these days. There is even (admittedly loose) talk of a new stadium. Times have changed.

While it may not be the popular thing to say, the reality is that after acting as the bad guys, the IRFU are largely responsible for the upturn. For years, when Connacht were financially unviable, they fitted the bill, spending both finance and time in building up their structures. Finally, this season, it has all come right.

Having never qualified for the Champions Cup off their own back before, they did it this time with two games to spare, Saturday’s win over Munster acting as a passing of the baton from the former kings of Europe to the new kids in town.

Now those kids chase more history. A top four finish and entry to the play-offs is next on the agenda. An appearance in a final is another box waiting to be ticked. More than anything, though, they want a trophy. Believe it or not, after 128 years of existence, Connacht have never won one.

That could change. This team, guided expertly by Lam, is maturing nicely and while they definitely got luckier than Munster on Saturday, their progress has not been a fluke.

“A big thing has been our squad,” Lam said. “Young guys have come through Nigel [Carolan, their academy manager]. So when we have had injuries, we have had guys ready to take their place.”

When we have had injuries, we have had guys ready to take their place
And it has shown. While Robbie Henshaw is the poster boy for Connacht’s development process, he isn’t alone. Five players represented Ireland against Italy in this year’s Six Nations and more are likely to get their chance this summer, not least Matt Healy, who has lit up this Pro12 season.

Would any of this have happened, though, if the IRFU hadn’t invested in Carolan and his development project? Or in Lam and his backroom team? Or in players like Aki?

Having threatened Connacht with the bullet all those years ago, their ultimate decision to grant them a reprieve has been paid back. Now, the province aren’t just makeweights in the Pro12, they are genuine contenders to win it.

Does anyone have the text of the London Times article published on 18 April?

New kids in town ready to make more history

sea_point wrote:

connemara man wrote: on ATH gavin can't go fighting Connachts corner he's employed by Connacht it'll look like a complete vested interest where as the others can say what they want as their vested interest isn't as straight forward.

and on the scrum itself I think its hilarious everyone is focusing on Finlay when his jersey was practically pulled over his head in the scrum.

Never stops Frankie Sheahan...?

Gavin has self respect

and cares not to show up himself or club

connemara man wrote: on ATH gavin can't go fighting Connachts corner he's employed by Connacht it'll look like a complete vested interest where as the others can say what they want as their vested interest isn't as straight forward.

and on the scrum itself I think its hilarious everyone is focusing on Finlay when his jersey was practically pulled over his head in the scrum.

Never stops Frankie Sheahan...?

on ATH gavin can't go fighting Connachts corner he's employed by Connacht it'll look like a complete vested interest where as the others can say what they want as their vested interest isn't as straight forward.

and on the scrum itself I think its hilarious everyone is focusing on Finlay when his jersey was practically pulled over his head in the scrum.

TBH I was expecting a full hour on Against the Head of the argument of leaving Denis Buckley out of a 44 man Irish squad. Instead it ended up in a discussion on how Munster were cheated. Figure that one because I was lost

We need to start impacting more as a team in the media it can be hugely beneficial. I wasn't personally having a pop at gavin nor was I expecting him to go apoplectic with spittle flying everywhere but we need to start putting forward with real purpose our narrative in the media.
It's crawling with agenda driven ex players from Munster and Leinster and even presenters like O'brien who is incapable of being non partisan.
It's time we invaded it like an army of ants, the supporters are doing great work making their voices heard on social media etc and mirroring pat lams vision but we are at the mercy of the likes of parochial Eddie on these radio and TV shows.
They want charismatic and powerful opinionated characters to drive conversations and public interest. Granted us Connacht people tend not to bell ends but we need a few well placed intelligent well spoken x factor characters on the airwaves etc.
Not to be ridiculously biased and partisan like O'Sullivan Horgan, Quinlan, Hogan, O sullivan, Horan, Wood to name a few l but to at the very least put forward our ideas and perceptions and to repudiate clear baseless non factual propaganda by the likes of O'sullivan.
He took a still shot of where the rugby ball bounced in front of niyi's hand which falsely gives the impression from a stilled front perspective that it hits a hand, when slowed down and run in real time you can clearly see that it comes off his leg as the referee and tmo clearly saw,on the scrum he totally ignores cronin crumbling, turning in and down yet is allowed to speak as if these false hoods are facts backed up by a child like Lenihan.
Gavin does not have to go into a rage but he shoukd have been knowledgeable and confident enough to rebuke and set the record straight to sullivan, I have no doubt pat lam would have.
I would go as far as to to say the branch should pick a pool of 3 or 4 guys preferably Connacht guys with confidence, knowledge, bravado and a passion for the team who are also very engaging so that the media will want them back repeatedly.
Select some candidates and give them some good media training and let them go. Some current youthful successful guys who might be long term injured like Masterson, Jake Heenan (previously) who will catch the publics attention if they are capable could be great assets on the airwaves.
The narrative is very important and we need to be aggressive and stop hoping that partisan presenters and pundits will simply be massively complimentary, honourable and gracious to us and shape it as it should be, most won't especially with the likes of sullivan etc etc out there.

Watching it back on TG4 player, Damien Varley is hilarious, must be getting speech and drama lessons from Ivan Yates.

I'm not expert in scrummaging obviously but at first glance when watching back on tv and the replay, it very much looked like Mun dropped bind. Looked very obvious. Haven't seen ATH yet so don't know what they said about it.

Linesmen are no experts either(but better than me granted!). In the context of the game all officials knew Mun were under pressure so any inclination that they were not technically correct was gonna be penalised. I don't understand why the prop was so shocked at the card. He was the fall guy for the scrum in general.

Discipline cost them and we capitalised. Discipline goes when under pressure. End of.

Against the head was poor enough, spent too long talking about debateable/non-debaterable decisions instead of concentrating on the positives of connacht play and didn't really say much onhow poor munster were. EOS reminds me of the some of the worst FF Politicians

My "favourite" Daire O'Brien memory:
Him saying off the cuff to Pat Lam that Joe Schmidt was his boss and getting a cool firm "He ain't my boss" reply
Why isn't Joanne Cantwell presenting AtH?

Not about Connacht, but kind of important.

Van der Merwe out for the season. www.bbc.com/sport/rugby-union/36081381

Jonathan Davies wants the Italian teams kicked out (Even though Zebre have 4 wins. Same as the Dragons) www.bbc.com/sport/rugby-union/36068740