With something like 20 handling errors there is plenty of blame to go around. AJ had as many miscues as anyone, Robbie threw a pass directly into touch not long after coming on and even Bundee knocked on at some point in the 2nd half. If Pat is only going to select players who didn't make mistakes in the Leinster game we'll see 4-5 players lining out again. Bundee has played in every Pro12 game this season and if it weren't for his 3 yellow cards he'd barely have come off. In the selection meeting with Pat I'll be putting forward Robb's name.

salmson wrote:

wp_rathead wrote: wouldn't like to be the one to tell Bundee that he isn't playing

There would certainly be some merit in starting Henshaw at 13, Aki on the bench, and Robb at 12 with the intention of shutting down his opposite number just as he did this weekend.

Don't really agree with this. The game was full of a myriad of mistakes. Correct me if I'm wrong but Matt fumbled most impressively, second up was Peter Robb and third up was Tiernan. Cant remember Bundee fumbling, nor Robbie, nor Niyi. And the pack simply were fumbleless (is there such a word). So if you want to shut a defence down you pick players who are least likely to fumble away possession. So Aki and Henshaw for me in the centre and possibly Poolman to replace Healy?

wp_rathead wrote: wouldn't like to be the one to tell Bundee that he isn't playing

There would certainly be some merit in starting Henshaw at 13, Aki on the bench, and Robb at 12 with the intention of shutting down his opposite number just as he did this weekend.

Yeah I think when on a winning run it helps players energy levels, especially when it's all new to the team.
Keeping momentum going right now might be more important - to be honest if there was a choice
I'd rather win pro 12 than the Challange Cup ( winning next years European Cup would be a different kettle of fish)

It would seem, based on analysis from Against The Head, we will lose the Ulster game because of emotional fatigue. And I take that point. Think back to the world cup game of Ireland vs France. A huge battle. A huge win and then a disappointing loss to follow. But there is a fundamental difference with Connacht. We are never favourites to win that next game. We are always expected to falter. As such our emotional strength is in place each week. So it really is only a matter if we are good enough.

wouldn't like to be the one to tell Bundee that he isn't playing

Yeah, I know it's not Pat's style that's why I mentioned same in the first line of my post and yes, I'm certainly concerned about injuries when the team is down to 4th choice outhalf, White takes a knock to the head early on and Heenan rolls his ankle in training. I'm also aware that resting a player won't necessarily save them from injuries, but as long as Connacht remain in the Challenge Cup they are looking at a run of 10 weeks of intense mostly knockout or knockout like rugby games so my main concern is that key players still have legs left come May. I'm not sure I'd leave it to the individual players to decide what's best for the team, any player worth his salt wants to be out there every weekend. One example would be if Henshaw, Parata and Robb are all healthy I could see resting Aki against Ulster and or Treviso. You still have a team capable of winning and maybe Aki has that little bit more in the tank in May when the hardware is to be won. Again my opinion and admittedly could be considered conservative by others.

RogueXV wrote:

clanman wrote: Huge game for Ulster, they need to win this one for top 6 let alone top 4. they'll be looking to bounce back after defeat to Glasgow. forget even losing bonus point,just get guys in for gametime and rest a few, there are bigger winnable battles ahead.

I'm sure Pat will head to Ulster with the intention of winning and name the strongest side available, but I'd agree with you clanman and would take the more conservative approach especially if you plan to give it your all against Grenoble the following week. The rest of your competition in the league are unencumbered by European commitments (apologies to Dragons but we don't play them and they are no threat sitting in 10th) so you have to put a little more thought into how you play out the season. If I'm reading the schedule right and things go as we dreamed Connacht could end up playing from this past Saturday until the end of May with no breaks. That's quite a run and every game will be intense. I'd be looking for my spots to rest a player or two and for me the Ulster game would be one of them.

Thing is the lads are just back from a 3 week break (other than our internationals). As such they should be rearing to go. I suggest your post is more in fear of further injuries rather than the need for a rest. Also Pat had said how disappointed players were at being left out for the Leinster game. I can't see any player wanting to be rested as an historic year comes to a climax. Indeed I suggest they would be hopping mad if suddenly selections became cautious. I don't think this is Pat's style anyway.

clanman wrote: Huge game for Ulster, they need to win this one for top 6 let alone top 4. they'll be looking to bounce back after defeat to Glasgow. forget even losing bonus point,just get guys in for gametime and rest a few, there are bigger winnable battles ahead.

I'm sure Pat will head to Ulster with the intention of winning and name the strongest side available, but I'd agree with you clanman and would take the more conservative approach especially if you plan to give it your all against Grenoble the following week. The rest of your competition in the league are unencumbered by European commitments (apologies to Dragons but we don't play them and they are no threat sitting in 10th) so you have to put a little more thought into how you play out the season. If I'm reading the schedule right and things go as we dreamed Connacht could end up playing from this past Saturday until the end of May with no breaks. That's quite a run and every game will be intense. I'd be looking for my spots to rest a player or two and for me the Ulster game would be one of them.

Can we change the title to 19:35 kick off time?

Disappointed to hear of AJ's injury but it's a chance for Shane O'Leary to come in and do a job. He's been around the squad for a while now. Ulster away is as difficult a game to come in for as there is but he's always looked to me a talented player who probably needs a run of games to get a bit of consistency and prove his worth. With the limited time McGinty got earlier in the season he was up and down before Carty's injury but once he was placed in the starting position he has had some excellent performances. Hopefully we'll see a similar situation with O'Leary.

Like others Shane O'Leary came into a pressure cooker situation on Saturday and delivered the goods. In particular, the clearance kick in the last 5 minutes up to past the 10 metre line was exactly what we needed at the time.

Looking at the fixtures a couple of months back this was the only one I drew a line under saying we were unlikely to get much but Ulster have been consistent only in their inconsistency in recent months. Winning in Ravenhill is another massive psychological barrier to attempt to cross, add in the day less recovery time and injuries and it's a huge ask but I'm confident we'll go up there and perform.

A win puts us odds on to finish in the Top 2 but even a defeat should still leave us joint top with 3 games remaining. Much more pressure on Ulster in this game.

Huge game for Ulster, they need to win this one for top 6 let alone top 4. they'll be looking to bounce back after defeat to Glasgow. forget even losing bonus point,just get guys in for gametime and rest a few, there are bigger winnable battles ahead.

I realize how defeatist this is but with given this report I would definitely take a lbp and a couple of solid performances from our back up fly halves that look like something that we can build on. It would be fantastic to go up to Belfast and win but seems like too big an ask right now.

Aj McGinty likely out of Ulster and possibly further, Lam quoted as saying shoulder injury in today's Indo, severity as yet unknown.

Edit: further twitter updates on injuries - Aj/shoulder/4 weeks, Craig/ankle/2-3weeks, White/concussion/RTP protocols, Jake/ankle/under observation, Dillane fit.

See relevant thread:
www.connachtclan.com/clan-forum/5-flight...-away-1st-april-2016

Just wondering guys. Is there many of then clan heading up to the ulster game next Friday night?