We look strong, but I notice Cardiff have moved the game to the Arms park. Lets of an empty stadium feel, which will be a positive for the home side. It's their true home so I expect them to be really up for this.

Strong team out and theirs looks weak so heres hoping!

Bought the two home game package for 16 euro this morning. Outstanding value and for clan terrace aswell.
The board are clearly doing everything in their power to keep attendances up post Heineken cup and i commend them on their efforts. Hopefully the public respond accordingly. Sportsground is a cracking venue when it has a decent crowd.

Up to the team tomorrow night to do their bit for the marketing dept!

Good Luck.

Cardiff Team

Cardiff Blues 15. Ben Blair 14. Richard Mustoe 13.Casey Laulala 12. Gavin Evans 11. Tom James 10. Ceri Sweeney 9. Richie Rees

8. Xavier Rush 7. Martyn Williams 6. Maama Molitika 5. Paul Tito (C) 4. Michael Paterson 3. Sam Hobbs 2. T Rhys Thomas 1. John Yapp

16. Ryan Tyrell 17. Nathan Trevett 18. Ryan Harford 19. Cory Hill 20. Macauley Cook 21. Lewis Jones 22. Gareth Davies 23. Tom Williams

ConnachtCows wrote:

swift4prez wrote: Connacht XV to Face Cardiff



Connacht XV to face <strong>Harlequins</strong> (Cardiff Arms Park, Friday 10th February kick-off 19.30)

We've nothing to fear from those Quins lads anymore. Winner takes all

just copied from the connacht news letter. didnt even notice that.

swift4prez wrote: Connacht XV to Face Cardiff



Connacht XV to face Harlequins (Cardiff Arms Park, Friday 10th February kick-off 19.30)

We've nothing to fear from those Quins lads anymore. Winner takes all

Connacht XV to Face Cardiff



Connacht XV to face Harlequins (Cardiff Arms Park, Friday 10th February kick-off 19.30)
15 Gavin Duffy (C)
14 Fetu'u Vainikolo
13 Kyle Tonetti
12 Dave McSharry
11 Tiernan O'Halloran
10 Niall O'Connor
09 Paul O'Donohoe
01 Brett Wilkinson
02 Adrian Flavin
03 Ronan Loughney
04 Michael Swift
05 Mike McCarthy
06 John Muldoon
07 Ray Ofisa
08 George Naoupu

16 Ethienne Reynecke
17 Denis Buckley
18 Stewart Maguire
19 Dave Gannon
20 Mick Kearney
21 Dave Moore
22 Matthew Jarvis
23 Henry Fa'afili

i was talking to ethinne yesterday and he was saying that wilko was training with them all week and he should be over with them in cardiff, unless someone gets injured

Was Wilko released to play?

Gatland took a big chance way back in the distant past when he gave four new players their chance just before a big game against France. The rest is history.

Time for history to repeat itself. The players in the team will benefit from the shakeup and the fresh faces (and a kick up the hole). The players coming in will likely play as if their lives depended on it.

Borders no.2 wrote: If the national team isn't successful, funds will dry up and the likes of Pienaar, Muller, Jared Payne Howlett, Botha, Nacewa, Elsom etc. won't be here because the IRFU won't have the money

The same IRFU that will see to it that they will all be out of a job at the end of their contracts.

Borders, I think a lot of fan base for ireland is different to fan base for provinces tho. Yes we all go once a season(if we can get a ticket)but there is a whole other section of supporters who only go to the internationals and maybe the odd interpro. It can be quite hard to get a ticket for a 6n game unless u move in the right circles and generally have to settle for italy or scotland games.

Hence the week in week out provincial fan has a greater affinity with the province. That applies in Munster Definately, Is growing in Leinster(and rem they are used to 6n in their backyard)and is now growing in connacht.Many diehard ulster fans consider their team to be a national side of sorts.

Does this attitude affect the players, I dont know but id doubt it. I would argue that the failure of the irfu to uses all 4 provinces to develop players is at fault moreso and leads to complacency among the established stars. The reality is that many of the positions on the ireland team pick themselves and there is no real competition for places save for 1 or 2 positions such as wing.

While i agree that deccies tenure should have ended post world cup i dont believe that a change of coach alone will change this.
The effort of the players on sunday wasnt 100% as some posters have said. The back row failed to engage at the breakdown, the defensive line was slow, scrum half looked under pressure and jonnie kicked like a novice again. I dont think any of these were part of the plan going out on the field and is completey down to players failing to apply themselves to the job at hand.

I think people need to look at the bigger picture here. The national team should and must always be no.1. Results like last Sunday and the wc q/f are bad for Irish Rugby but are very bad for Connacht rugby as at the bottom of the food chain we are relying on a successful national team and all the revenue that accompanies that to keep the setup going.

The national side is what Irish Rugby has and always will be judged on and if the national team isn't successful, funds will dry up and the likes of Pienaar, Muller, Jared Payne Howlett, Botha, Nacewa, Elsom etc. won't be here because the IRFU won't have the money to be paying big contracts for the Irish players which will mean the provinces will need to cut their cloth accordingly and that will result in a very poor Connacht side or perhaps Connacht out of business as the likes of Wilkinson, McCarthy, McKeown, O'Halloran, Griffin and in future possibly Layden, Conneely etc. will be recruited south or east.

Its easier to relate to the provincial sides and its more accessible money wise but the national team must always be no.1 thats why the IRFU need to bite the bullet sooner rather than later and get the best in the business for the new coaching team if we don't want to fade into obscurity.

As for Friday, its important to keep some momentum going, we won't get up to Harlequins like intensity but its important our form holds up to close to that level, even a bp would be welcome, two home games after this so a couple of results during the 6n could put us in a position to finish a depressing season on somewhat of a high.

i see that blues have moved the game to the arms park in response to protest/feedback from fans who are not happy with new stadium.

Hopefully Connacht dont walk in to a huge blues performance there.

Supporters are calling for all stayaway fans to show up in arms park and sell it out to show board what fans want.Capacity has been downgraded to 8000 so they could manage it.

What luck for this to happen when connacht come to town.

Cardiff Blues will play Connacht on friday night at 7.30pm. But the venue has been changed to their anccestral home, Cardiff Arms Park.Reported this evening on the Blues website.

Don't get the negativity towards the Irish Team/game/set up.Thought they played there hearts out against the welsh but were beaten by a bigger stronger and better team.If a couple of things were different ,we would have won.

The game plan at times and some decision making was terrible though. (Fe**ing Box kicks should be very limited)

C'mon CONNACHT and IRELAND (equally !!)

eastcoastconnacht wrote: What Ireland were always good at was going out and giving 110% no matter who the opposition were and punching above their weight. Nowadays they seem to be going through the motions alot of the time. I have no doubt that the lads were gutted to loose at the weekend and may well rebound this week, for me though to see the emotion and character that all our lads showed over the last few months is miles ahead of what Ireland are showing at the moment. I think half the problem is that very few of them feel that they are in danger of being dropped especially the one on central contracts. Heaslip was okay at the weekend but he has been phoning in the performances for a while now. I say drop them and let them fight for his spot back. You'd be guaranteed Muldoon would give his right arm to be given the chances Heaslip is getting.

They're all putting 100% in, I have no truck with Team Ireland in terms of effort. It's the style of play, the tactics that are the major issue and bone of contention. Basically Kidney is the problem, not players attitudes and not central contracts....

It's natural that given our lack of representation on Team Kidney that we feel less for our National Team than the side that represents us week in week out, lads you could see at Tesco's on a Thursday night grabbing some milk or doing a run to the Tip of a Sunday to get rid of the garden waste....

Anyway I hope they are ready for Friday night, always worries me when we have a gap without any games...