Agree with most comments pretty unprofessional display and unintelligent decisions, missed clarke badly.
Why would you take off marmion one of our most dangerous players in a match were we needed a bonus point.
Naoupu making a mess of a certain try at the back of the scrum. Healy "oohhh and he dropped it, you absolute muppet" :blush:.
Forwards getting bullied and driven back by a weak side :sick:.
Its a win but saracens will punish you if you allow them front foot ball

connachtexile wrote: I can only agree with you. I can't remember how many times I've seen us drop the ball or miss a pass. Our backs today were desperate. Even our second try was a piece of skill by Henshaw rather than a proper move. For me POD coming on and throwing a crooked feed costing us a scrum in a good place and then doing it AGAIN only two minutes later was pretty much the whole match in a nutshell. We were dire and didn't deserve a bonus point on that performance.

We just don't have enough beef up front. We're too lightweight in terms of carriers in the pack. We badly need a couple of pure power athletes in the backrow especially but the second row as well. As a result we struggle to hold onto the ball. Of course when you're dropping it all the time it makes things hard as well

Henshaw's try was the only bit of class in the whole 80 mins.

I can only agree with you. I can't remember how many times I've seen us drop the ball or miss a pass. Our backs today were desperate. Even our second try was a piece of skill by Henshaw rather than a proper move. For me POD coming on and throwing a crooked feed costing us a scrum in a good place and then doing it AGAIN only two minutes later was pretty much the whole match in a nutshell. We were dire and didn't deserve a bonus point on that performance.

piss poor performance overall.

Subs who came on had nightmares and actually disimproved matters. Marginally better in the first 20 of the second half.

Execution of the basics was just terrible at times and we'll be mullered next week without a serious improvement

Watching the last 35 minutes of this half has been really painful. So bloody sloppy.

sea_point wrote: Very poor first half rom Connacht overall, not generating anywhere near enough tempo, way to lateral with the ball and offloading having not fixed a defender...

Out of ten I'd give that first half a five, energy has to come form the pack. Swifty on eases my worries about the scrum soemwhat. At the tempo we were playing at, with Kearney and Browner we would have got found out at scrumtime.

More tempo and more accuracy and we'll clear this Zebre side away handy enough, but play as we did first half and we'll just about win nevermind get a bonus point we critically need...

65 mins in and only five minutes of acceptable effort at start of second half and the rest has been sh*te, the mistakes being made are awful absolutely awful. Not acceptable in any terms.

Sarries will put 50+ on us with a performance like that...

Very poor first half rom Connacht overall, not generating anywhere near enough tempo, way to lateral with the ball and offloading having not fixed a defender...

Out of ten I'd give that first half a five, energy has to come form the pack. Swifty on eases my worries about the scrum soemwhat. At the tempo we were playing at, with Kearney and Browner we would have got found out at scrumtime.

More tempo and more accuracy and we'll clear this Zebre side away handy enough, but play as we did first half and we'll just about win nevermind get a bonus point we critically need...

Anyoine looking for a stream of the game.....

www.sportlemon.tv/20140111/vv52d15ca1cc9...15036403-721674.html

pinky wrote:

ConnachtBOB wrote: Fecking Gloucester!

I'm going to the Gloucester vs Munster game on Sat (In my Connacht Jersey of course before anyone asks). I just emailed them to see if they'll show the Connacht match beforehand but they're showing the fecking Toulon vs Cardiff one instead.

Think I might be camped out in the Shed with the tablet & skygo

Is that in the ground itself they are showing Toulon v Cardiff?
Teague's or the Kingsholm Inn will surely stick it on for you.

Just got a tweet from Teagues. They're gonna show the Connacht match tomorrow so happy out.

They also have a Hog-Roast so I'll be very happy.. as long as Connacht are winning anyway

i'd prefer to see Duffy at fullback even though he has'nt been in form this season as I'm not yet convinced about Leader, He could prove me wrong but I don't see him as quality Full-back. the power of our front row should cancel out the lightweight locks and with Leonard missing from the Zebre team I expect Marmion to have another Man of the Match performance.

www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=60539840...78574&type=1&theater

this is a table of the way things stand at the moment. connacht 13th.
even if results go our way tomorrow, we still cant be in the amlin spot as we wont be in 2nd spot in the group, even if we have more points then others. we also need to beat saracens.

9, cardiff 13 points
10, harlequins 11 points
11, gloucester 9 points
12, Northampton 9 points
13, connacht 9 points

id say out of that 5, 2 will win. us vs zebre and northampton vs ospreys.

munster should beat gloucester, toulon beat cardiff and clermont could beat quins

you got to give lam some credit for giving carty and leader some game time.

if these lads are good enough for Ireland under 20, i always struggled to understand why in ireland we were so slow to get young guys into games.

its a good attitude. will only benefit ireland in years to come.

Great confidence booster for Carty to get 2 starts in a row. nice article about him today on Rabo website www.rabodirectpro12.com/news/13792.php#.UtAZJfaq_hI


Zebre Team

Zebre: 15 Palazzani, 14 Toniolatti, 13 Ratuvou, 12 Garcia, 11 Berryman, 10 Orquera, 9 Chillon; 1 Aguero, 2 Giazzon, 3 Chistolini, 4 Geldenhuys (c), 5 Biagi, 6 Ferrarini, 7 Van Schalkwyk, 8 Vunisa.

Replacements: 16 Tommaso D'Apice , 17 Andrea de Marchi, 18 David Ryan, 19 Marco Bortolami, 20 Nicola Cattina, 21 Roberto Quartaroli, 22 Ruggero Trevisan, 23 David Odiete.

No Brendan Leonard or Bergamasco.

sea_point wrote: No he's lsited amongs the injured still..

ConnachtCows wrote: <strong>Unavailable/Injured: </strong>Craig Clarke, Aly Muldowney, Dave Nolan, Willie Faloon, Dave McSharry, <strong>Craig Ronaldson</strong>, Danie Poolman, Miah Nikora, and Kyle Tonetti.

Balls

wp_rathead wrote: Thought TOH did enough in his Leinstet cameo to deserve keeping place on bench - instead he will be starting FB for the Eagles..
Pretty light weight pack- but arguably more mobile. Clarke deserves rest

Am glad Lam kept faith in Carty and Leader

Ronaldson isn't involved in Eagles so assume he be 24th man?

No he's lsited amongs the injured still..

ConnachtCows wrote: Unavailable/Injured: Craig Clarke, Aly Muldowney, Dave Nolan, Willie Faloon, Dave McSharry, Craig Ronaldson, Danie Poolman, Miah Nikora, and Kyle Tonetti.

Thought TOH did enough in his Leinstet cameo to deserve keeping place on bench - instead he will be starting FB for the Eagles..
Pretty light weight pack- but arguably more mobile. Clarke deserves rest

Am glad Lam kept faith in Carty and Leader

Ronaldson isn't involved in Eagles so assume he be 24th man?