Assuming Bundee & TOH make it and Ili doesn't we're looking at 15-9 of TOH - Niyi - Parata - Aki - Healy - Carty - Marmion, with just 2 backs on the bench (Blade & Brennan) unless we add someone to the squad.

salmson wrote: Boshoff - 12 week
Kelleher - 4 weeks
Out for Saturday - Loughs, Cooney, Robb, SOL.
Being assessed, may play - Jake, TOH, Bundee, Ili.

We need all of TOH, Bundee & Ili to make it just to have a full matchday complement of 10 fit backs from the EPCR squad.

You're being very glass half full saying they may be available, this sounds like they are almost certainly out unfortunately:

Jake Heenan sustained injuries to his knee and ankle in the game v Wasps and is awaiting the results of a scan to determine the extent of the injury.

Stacey Ili sustained an ankle injury in the game v Wasps and is awaiting the results of a scan to determine the extent of the injury.

Boshoff - 12 week
Kelleher - 4 weeks
Out for Saturday - Loughs, Cooney, Robb, SOL.
Being assessed, may play - Jake, TOH, Bundee, Ili.

We need all of TOH, Bundee & Ili to make it just to have a full matchday complement of 10 fit backs from the EPCR squad.

wp_rathead wrote:

dobby wrote:

Evil_g wrote:

So yes he can take a tackle and make a tackle and yes he can pass a ball but that simply is not enough to justify his position. He is behind Ronaldson, Boshoff, Cooney and O'Leary these days as a starting 10

Thank you for so succinctly proving my point. Now I'm not going to engage with you any further.

Feel free to enlighten us who walk in the dark

In all fairness dobby, you're saying Cooney is ahead of Carty in the position of outhalf..
I'm guessing you are basing this on Cooney being a superior place kicker?

Being a poor place kicker = being a poor outhalf

Ian Harte and Steve Staunton were great penalty takers and free kick specialists were never not for being strikers though

dobby wrote:

Evil_g wrote:

So yes he can take a tackle and make a tackle and yes he can pass a ball but that simply is not enough to justify his position. He is behind Ronaldson, Boshoff, Cooney and O'Leary these days as a starting 10

Thank you for so succinctly proving my point. Now I'm not going to engage with you any further.

Feel free to enlighten us who walk in the dark

In all fairness dobby, you're saying Cooney is ahead of Carty in the position of outhalf..
I'm guessing you are basing this on Cooney being a superior place kicker?

Being a poor place kicker = being a poor outhalf

How many kicks to touch did he miss? From my memory one and a Wasps player did well to jump and knock it back in field to keep it in play.

Cooney is a better outhalf? Has Cooney ever played at 10 in his entire professional rugby career?

An outhalf doesn't have to be able to kick to be a good 10, especially not if someone else on the field can kick. See Joey Carbery at Leinster or for an extreme example a chap called Beauden Barrett playing for NZ isn't a half bad outhalf even though he usually couldn't kick snow off a rope.

Evil_g wrote:

So yes he can take a tackle and make a tackle and yes he can pass a ball but that simply is not enough to justify his position. He is behind Ronaldson, Boshoff, Cooney and O'Leary these days as a starting 10

Thank you for so succinctly proving my point. Now I'm not going to engage with you any further.

Feel free to enlighten us who walk in the dark

So yes he can take a tackle and make a tackle and yes he can pass a ball but that simply is not enough to justify his position. He is behind Ronaldson, Boshoff, Cooney and O'Leary these days as a starting 10

Thank you for so succinctly proving my point. Now I'm not going to engage with you any further.

Evil_g wrote: I wish this site had a function which allowed me to automatically ignore anyone who says or implies that "Jack doesn't have it and never will".

It's the equivalent of saying "I don't understand anything except place kicking".

I'm so bored of it. Plenty of players have made more important mistakes than him since the start of this season, and few have been as good as him at his best. But the loud mouths on the internet never miss a chance to stick the knife in.

When you don't have another penalty taker on the field it means that team strategy must be modified to accommodate a player's weakness. Coupled with the fact that the lineout was mal-functioning now you have a real problem. You can't kick for touch or you can't kick for the posts. So now the only option is to play rugby league rather than rugby union. And I don't agree that Jack's other qualities make up for his weaknesses. How many times did he miss kicks for touch and then when he did hit touch he made so little ground. So yes he can take a tackle and make a tackle and yes he can pass a ball but that simply is not enough to justify his position. He is behind Ronaldson, Boshoff, Cooney and O'Leary these days as a starting 10. Its criminal that we have to turn down penalty attempts because of his lack of kicking ability.

On a positive the introduction of McKeon for Heenan seemed to stabilize the lineout. SOB may also have stuck his hand up for a start ahead of Quinn. I would suggest Marmion and Cooney to start next week (Cooney at OH) if fit.

Parata played well, other than a couple of silly errors towards the end. I wonder if Bundee will be available. He's a terror for injuring himself then playing through the pain barrier and in effect only doing more damage to himself. Cian looks very unlikely with what looked like a calf strain (I know it has been reported in the media as a hamstring). Tiernans injury just seemed a bit of soreness from a knock on the hip so he might be back. So probably the biggest concern will be Bundee as Matt can step-in for Cian.

One thing is certain. Wasps will be competing in the lineout next week so we have a few days to sort this problem or we have a real problem on our hands. In return they have to get their scrum sorted. I'm just hoping Cooney will be fit for next week and Bundee can shake off the leg problem. It would be nice to see him and Rory start next week. And revelation of the weekend was Conor Carey. Scampering after Marmion down the field and lots of other good stuff as well.

Evil_G there is a whole raft of people who believe Johnny Sexton is not world class good because he has a tendency to misses a few relatively easy kicks, especially when the pressure is on. I immediately discount everything they say about rugby from that point on.

I wish this site had a function which allowed me to automatically ignore anyone who says or implies that "Jack doesn't have it and never will".

It's the equivalent of saying "I don't understand anything except place kicking".

I'm so bored of it. Plenty of players have made more important mistakes than him since the start of this season, and few have been as good as him at his best. But the loud mouths on the internet never miss a chance to stick the knife in.

Just seen the weather forcast for Saturday, looking good. Calm and dry, perfect for running rugby.

Was feeling disappointed and pesimistic on the way home yesterday but today I'm more optimistic. Realy looking forward to welcoming wasps to a jamed sportsground Saturday.

Hopefully the crowd will be in full voice!

We can all be nice about and say Carty brings what he brings in terms of his rugby ability, but I have completely lost patience with him as a kicker - either out of had or from the 'tee'. Just cannot get any consistency at all.
At this level, you ,MUST Have a 10 with a serious conversion rate average to win matches. Carty will never be such a player & without a kicker, we will struggle in tight games at key moments - the kick for 20:20 against Wasps was classic Carty kicking. We know its true becuase we've seen it all season.
Also, the game against Tolouse at home was case in point, he was done for , shattered by his own kicking & handed over the key kick to Ronaldson (who is a fantastic kicker). Maybe , as has been said, his future is in the centre but it is not at fly half at this level for Connacht. I really hope he makes it , nice lad & all but Jesus stay away from the kicking kid!!

For the record, even if we're not at full strength, I think we have a chance this weekend at home - but we need 'one of those nights' where the atmosphere is electric from the start - I'm mean from the start!!

wp_rathead wrote:

clanman wrote: you can imagine the scenario this week that the best player from sunday Marmion is dropped in favor of Cooney and the worst player Carty retains his position

He was not Connachts worst player on Sunday

I think and as a critic of Carty in the past we need to realise that although kicking is not his strongest point he still brings an awful lot to the table in terms of moving a back line, breaking the gain line and defense.
In every business when a situation arises with an employee you need to seperate the person from the problem. The person Jack as an out half over all is a good quality out half in the fundamentals and what he brings to Connacht. The problem is his kicking. Personally I think it's a psychological issue more than an ability and I am sure Connacht management are doing there utmost to rectify it. So what I'm saying is before coming on here calling him the worst player because of a few missed kicks is wrong an innacurate and as a rugby fan one must look at the over all picture.
We also must acknowledge that Ireland had an out half in Joey Carberry playing in the Autumn against the All Blacks and he can't kick at all!!!
As a nation I think going forward an emphasis needs to be put on all backs to be coached in kicking we see it already with Murray , Cooney McFadden also comes to mind. Not all backs are going to have the talent to kick but if the fundamentals are put in from an early age and encouraged throughout all age groups we should have more options going forward and not the heavy reliance Celtic nations especially have on their OH kicking!

Definitely a bad week overall and a poor performance. From the injuries we don't know the shape of the team for this Saturday. But whoever lines out they will need us.
Bring the noise , we know they can feed off it. We have to do our bit for them on Saturday !!!

wp_rathead wrote: He was not Connachts worst player on Sunday

Well he was if you don't count Tom, Ultan, Jake, Mul, Nepia, Niyi, Ili, Kelleher, and TOH. And a few of the subs. Asides frim them he was definitely the worst player.