I think even the editor for the Indo Sports section doesn't rate EOS judging by the pic selection

Sure he only lives up the road it's a perfect fit :woohoo: :blink:

Here we go .... good man Ruaidhri
www.independent.ie/sport/rugby/connacht-...ground-36864884.html

theCulk wrote: So what you're saying is we should be treated as a development province again

What?


And yeah McDonagh said something along the lines of he doesn't remember ever seeing Connacht put another province to the sword or something, obviously was too busy over Christmas to watch the Ulster match.

theCulk wrote: So what you're saying is we should be treated as a development province again

Ha? Did I miss a post where someone stumped for Bradley's return, or something?

So what you're saying is we should be treated as a development province again

sea_point wrote: McDonagh on GBFM clearly wouldn't know his arse form his elbow in respect of Rugby. Absolutely no reason for him to be involved in the discussion. Just showed his ignorance and was unnecessarily disrespectful to KK.

Was he the lad spouting about having not seen an interprovincial performance like that (vs. Leinster) from Connacht in "many a long year"? Ignoring the record humping of Ulster not six months previously, and the regular chasings Leinster and Munster got at the Sportsground under Lam, or for that matter under Elwood. Whatever else you want to say about KK, in the Interpros he delivered all three scalps in one season, something we've never done before.

TynesideEagle wrote: If they are looking something similar to Pat Lam then Tana Umaga might be about to become available. He is close to getting the sack at Auckland Blues which was the same fate at Pat before he rebuilt his coaching credentials at Connacht. Knows Bundee well from him time coaching Counties in the ITM Cup.

I also don't buy the argument that the ITM Cup in New Zealand is a second rate competition. Standard is certainly on par with the Pro14. All Blacks and Super Rugby players are often involved.

I am based in England and there seems to be a bit of a merry-go-round developing of head coaches which is similar to Premier League football managers. The likes of Dorian West, Jim Mallinder, John Kingston, Mike Ford all seem to get linked to jobs all the time. Plenty of others available too - Steve Tandy from the Ospreys for example.

McDonagh on GBFM clearly wouldn't know his arse form his elbow in respect of Rugby. Absolutely no reason for him to be involved in the discussion. Just showed his ignorance and was unnecessarily disrespectful to KK. And ITM Cup inferior? How many decent ITM signings have Connacht made going back to he likes of Tim Allnutt, Junior Charlie, then the likes of Naoupu, Dave Ah You, Gavin Williams, Ray Ofisa etc, etc, etc, when we didn't have a pot to pee in thanks to IRFU.

Kingston of course was a former Galwegians RFC head coach prior to moving to Quins as Forwards Coach under O'Shea.So he might come into the reckoning.

Tandy can go swing, utter bellend...
Think Mallinder would struggle with the resources available...
Mike Ford might be a good fit, having knowledge of the Provincial setup already..

Somebody mentioned Umaga, Pat Lam he ain't that's for sure.
But he might have the profile required to draw/retain sponsorships if we could afford him and he'd accept a two year deal..

All IMHO of course....

salmson wrote:

TynesideEagle wrote:
I also don't buy the argument that the ITM Cup in New Zealand is a second rate competition.

I'd strongly disagree with that. Even a crap February Pro 12 game you'll see a dozen internationals and some cohesive set piece/unit play at a minimum. About 3/4 of the players are part time (seasonal might be a better term - they only get paid from June-October), the limited timescales & ever changing rosters mean set piece is ropey at best, and defending is strictly optional. Most of all, the turnover rate & error count is astronomical as you have players trying to play to a sevens-plus-plus game plan many of them just don't have the skill set for.

A lot of that could and frequently is used to describe super rugby in general...

TynesideEagle wrote:
I also don't buy the argument that the ITM Cup in New Zealand is a second rate competition.

I'd strongly disagree with that. Even a crap February Pro 12 game you'll see a dozen internationals and some cohesive set piece/unit play at a minimum. About 3/4 of the players are part time (seasonal might be a better term - they only get paid from June-October), the limited timescales & ever changing rosters mean set piece is ropey at best, and defending is strictly optional. Most of all, the turnover rate & error count is astronomical as you have players trying to play to a sevens-plus-plus game plan many of them just don't have the skill set for.

It's perhaps not fair to compare Mitre 10 teams (or super rugby teams for that matter) to Northern Hemisphere sides, as they exist purely to find international players, but I reckon only the very top sides like Canterbury could survive in the Pro12 (and by that be as good - or should I say bad - as Zebre or ourselves). Most of them would be complete cannon fodder like Kings or Dragons, and the worst of them would probably be on a par with Welsh semi-pro teams or the better AIL outfits. If I had to pick a competition to tag Mitre 10 quality to it would be the Anglo Welsh Cup - next to no internationals, experimental and development selections, quality only outing in the latter stages.

Disappointed with the dismissal of Keane, cant see it being too fair that the lack of responsibility taken on the field by the players should lead to the dismissal of the Coach, He most certainly should have been given a 2nd year to prove himself. No point discussing a likely replacement almost certainly going to be handed to Jimmy Duffy and Carolan.

Cathal wrote: He had a big bag of money in Northampton and hadn't the greatest of records. Not for me. Crowley would be my pick based on the names mentioned so far

That feels disingenuous; be fair to Mallinder, he had money, as did many of his competitors, but he also won the Premiership, would have won a second time if his captain hadn't called the ref a cheat, and he was 2nd in the league another year. He won a plethora of minor trophies such as Euro Challenge Cup, Anglo Welsh, etc as well as a being a HC finalist in 2011. He really only had a bad season this year after 10 years, and that cycle happens to every club, so his record is pretty decent. Are there better coaches available out there, probably, but he is not Mark Hughes or Sam Allerdyce.. Crowley has had a fine year this year with Benetton, but his Canada tenure was very mixed (hard to compare club vs. country), so for me I would prefer another year to see if he can continue to develop Benneton.

The question potential non-Irish candidates should ask is: what will a successful period with Connacht do for my career. Will it get me into a more "A" listed club in the Top 14 or Premiership, or an International team? It worked for Pat Lam, so we need to have a rising star rather than a fading one which works against seasoned coaches like Mallinder and Crowley, and looks towards highly thought of assistant coaches. The new coach also should be charged with developing potential successors within the coaching set up, so next time there is a planned transition.

If they are looking something similar to Pat Lam then Tana Umaga might be about to become available. He is close to getting the sack at Auckland Blues which was the same fate at Pat before he rebuilt his coaching credentials at Connacht. Knows Bundee well from him time coaching Counties in the ITM Cup.

I also don't buy the argument that the ITM Cup in New Zealand is a second rate competition. Standard is certainly on par with the Pro14. All Blacks and Super Rugby players are often involved.

I am based in England and there seems to be a bit of a merry-go-round developing of head coaches which is similar to Premier League football managers. The likes of Dorian West, Jim Mallinder, John Kingston, Mike Ford all seem to get linked to jobs all the time. Plenty of others available too - Steve Tandy from the Ospreys for example.

He had a big bag of money in Northampton and hadn't the greatest of records. Not for me. Crowley would be my pick based on the names mentioned so far

He was the only one that pop into my mind, It wouldn't be a bad appointment.

Jim Mallinder - anyone?