In the Galway Independant today

New Connacht chief executive Tom Sears believes that they can grow massively on and off the pitch in the next few years.

The 43-year old, who comes to Connacht after heading up Kenyan cricket, believes there is great scope for growth, especially as Eric Elwood’s side will be in the Heineken Cup for a second successive year.

“I think there is massive potential there. You look at what has happened in the last two or three years, things have started but we still have a long way to go and I really do think we have the potential to do something quite special there.

“There is no doubt there is a real groundswell of support in the west of Ireland for a professional franchise and we are confident we can make the strides that we need to and produce what we need to on and off the pitch.

It is the opportunity to be part of something. Getting in at the start and contributing to the journey of where you want to be. You don’t get many opportunities like that,” he said.

Sears said Connacht had recruited well for the new season but they were already looking beyond that.

“We have already started planning for next year. We have to get ahead of the game and really look at our succession and planning where we are going to go next year.

“I don’t think we have been that particularly strong at planning that far ahead. That is the sort of mindset we want to introduce. Obviously, we need to take care of what we are doing this season but already we are looking ahead.

“I have had lots of meeting with the senior staff of the IRFU, they have all been supportive and helpful. They are keen to see Connacht do well and a strong fourth province will be good for Irish rugby as a whole.

“We want to be in a position where we are playing well enough that our players are getting selected for Ireland. In three or four years time we would like guys to be a mainstay of the squad and we think we have got some players who can do that. There is no doubt there is talent there,” added Sears.

If we came in higher then 7th I'd be happy.

I'd like to see Connacht finish sixth or higher this season, I think that will be achievable based on the improvements to our squad and the reduction in quality of some of the welsh squads. Its clear that last season Connacht could have finished a lot higher in the league if there had been more consistency in the kicking and of course less injuries which had a real part in the mid-season problems. Hopefully that can be avoided this time.

I don't care that much about the Heineken, blasphemy I know but I think it is a bit of a distraction from the league which imo Connacht would be better served prioritizing.

Also I'd like to see some of the younger players breaking through for the senior squad and for Ireland, the latter seems pretty unlikely but there is some real quality coming through that is at least the equal of the fabled Leinster academy system and that deserves to be highlighted.

For me the important thing is to improve on our points take in the rabo, 50 points would be an excellent achivement and should be our goal, when you consider that we had the winning of at least 4 games last year and screwed them up a small improvement there would reap 12 points.

If we get 50 then we are breathing down Ulsters neck.

HC if we qualify for the amlin section that would be a great result, which would also result in extra revenue streams.

basically we need to win more home games, this will keep the crowds up which will increase revenue.

Its year 2 of the 3 year plan. we simply need to kick on from here.

While i agree in theory with Greendragons wish for HEC qualification in our own right the reality is that it will take an improvement of 19 pts to draw level with ulster based on last season. Under the current rules for HEC qualification thats the mountain that faces this team. i fullly expect Leinster and Munster to occupy the playoff spots again this season along the ospreys and one other. Ulster will no doubt be targetting that 4th playoff spot along with a few others.
Given the fact that an irish team cant win the Hec every year and none of the other pro12 teams are strong enough to do so i think a more realistic short term target to qualification is to build a squad capable of winning the amlin and qualifying that way. weaker connacht squads have reached the semis in the past and imo this is the one piece of silverware that is attainable to this squad.

thats probably for another year but if HEc group goes well who knows!

Really imo the HC campaign rests on the opening game away to Zebre. Seapoint seems to be suggesting we'll get edged out in a thriller 33-32 or something like that but I think it will be a dour game where every point will be vital. This is the type of game where the marquee signings like Nathan White, Dan Parks need to deliver. If we can dog out any kind of win there it takes the pressure off as we'll be well on the way to achieving our basic objective of a strong 3rd place finish. 2 home games after that and all to play for.

However, if we lose to Zebre away, we are on the backfoot and it'd be hard to see us picking it up for Harlequins the following week who'll be eager for revenge and will probably come in on the back of a win at home to Biarritz.

Can't see us getting anything away to Biarritz, probably will be asking a lot to get a point in the Stoop but thats well down the road, if we don't win the opening game, we're in damaged limitation territory.

As for the league as I stated above 44 points ( 2 pts per game) would be my basic aim. If that improves our league position great but its improving our points total which is the primary aim and the table will look after itself. Under 40 would be a dissapointing season.

Its edging closer, Septembers fixtures are relatively favourable to start with so lets hope for a strong start and take it from there.

If we improve our league position again this year I will be satisfied,onwards and upwards. The Heineken Cup is a great competition to be in !! but I would rather see us reach it under our own steam and not have to rely on other teams to do the hard work for us.

Undoubtedly, Rossie, job #1 this season has to be making the Sportsground a fortress. Sure a lot of teams come there giving the ol' lip service about how tough Connacht are at home, but Connacht have to put meaning to those words this time around. Fully agree there is not a team in the Rabo that should come to Galway expecting 4, dare I say 5, points. It was encouraging that they did not suffer any heavy defeats at home last season and now it is time to turn the tight losses into wins. 8/9 wins at home in the Rabo is a reasonable goal.

As for the HEC I think Connacht will finish closer to rossie's 14 than S_P's 17. The 'Quins will do their level best to prevent Connacht from getting anything from their trip to the Stoop so 4 points seems the best bet from the home and away with them. Whether they have the beating of Biarritz or not at home depends on whether the team is reaching its potential. Certainly we will know that by December, but for now I will say just a point from the two games with them. As far as Zebre I know that Connacht has not always taken care of business against even weaker Italian sides then them, but I really have to believe that they have learned from their mistakes on this front and will come away with 8 if not 9 points from these fixtures. 13-14 points total.

Having attended all of the away HEC games last season:

Quins - I fancy our chance of getting something at the Stoop and sneaking another one at home. Points 5

Biarritz - will be tough they have a very consistent European record barring the odd bad day in Italy, like Toulouse they operate with a massive pack however we can get something in Galway alright. At Parc des Sports Aguiléra, if we can get a losing bonus that would be massive.. Points 5

Zebre - if anything despite being a new franchise I firmly believe they will be better than Aironi, we will be favourites which as always is a concern for any Connacht team in any sport. I would still hope to see 7 points from the two fixtures minimum.

Not sure we'll win the group with 17 points but it should be good enough to get an Amlin spot..

with 11 days to go to the new season opener i guess its time to revisit this thread.

Its vital that we do a lot better at home this season. Imo that means beating blues, dragons, scarlets, warriors, edinburgh,ulster, treviso and zebre. There is absolutely no reason why these games cannot be won and we should go into these games expecting to win.
The home games against the big 3 of Leinster, Munster and the Ospreys will be tougher but we should have won two of these last season and only failed to perform against the Ospreys. that said 1 win out of 3 will represent progress. I will happily accept 8 wins out of 11 at home in Pro12 this season with losing bonus points in other 3 but anything less imo will be very disappointing and a worrying failure to reach potential of this squad. If the province is to continue to grow decent home form and results is an absolute must.

Away from home i feel we have good chance of 2 to 3 wins with another 2 to 3 losing bonus points there to be picked up. these goals if reached will give us a points total of 43-45 points which in my opinion is a realistic target for the coming season.

The Heineken cup draw is more favourable this time around and imo 2 wins out of 3 at home with a losing bonus pt in other is a reasonable target with 1 win and 1 lb point ont the road achievable giving us 14 point total. anything extra would give us a shot at amlin qtrs.

I know these targets may seem optimistic to many reading here but having attended most of the home games last season i believe that, with exception of ospreys and glasgow, we should have won all others and were responsible ourselves for those losses. If we improve those areas, and thats a reasonable expectation, i see no reason why the results cant change.
The Hec brings Quins back to town and theres no reason why we cant beat them again. Biarritz imo are not a patch on the team they were and are beatable at home and zebre if treated with respect should be beatable. If this connacht squad can beat the demons within them these goals are achievable and in their hands, the question is can they and do they believe they can?

A successful season IMO would be a consolidation from last year - 8 or above in the Rabo, being still in contention in the HEC after Christmas, a home interpro win and to come away from one away inter pro with a win/draw and a losing streak of no more than 4 games.

MATCH DAY EXPERIENCE

Last season saw many great changes and evolutions. Gone are the barren un-enclosed footsteps now replaced with a burgeoning Clan Terrace. The whole dynamic of the stadium has changed.
Gone is the old corner entry to the pitch for the players. Now we have an entry from the Clan Terrace.

A great feature last year, especially on days of high attendances, was the pre match ceremony whereby the squad paraded in front of the supporters after their warm up.

The effect on the match day experience was exhilarating. It was limited as the players were only fully exposed to a small length of the Stand Terrace before turning across the pitch.

This experience could be maximised if the squad were to use the College Road end for their warm up.
Is it not then feasible for the players to start from the half way line in front of Grandstand , make 40 metres, ‘wheel’ left across College Road Terrace and then continue in front of Clan Terrace before exiting the pitch and returning to beat ‘Quins (again)?

i was going to post my opinions on what represents progress next season but on reading Borders No.2s post above i can only second everything he has said. If connacht can reach the targets he has highlighted it will be a good season but failure to do so esp on the field will represent a set back for this squad as imo they are very reachable.

Last season had many low points but we still finished with 37 points at the end of the season. It was a world cup year but given the squad is much more settled and we have made some good additions with hopefully 1 more to come I think we have to look to improve on the points total.

44 (or 2 points a game average) has been what I'd class as a good season. We've fallen a few points short of that the last couple of years but if we turn a couple of the narrow defeats into wins and we can reach that total. 9 - 10 victories with a handful of bonus points is achievable. Below 40 again would be a poor season imo.

Heineken Cup. Wins home and away to the Italians won't be easy but are imperative and a minimum target if we are serious about it at all. Another win at home to either of the big two would be another big stepping stone. 14-15 points is achievable.

As with everything, a lot depends on the schedule in both competitions.

Off the field, I'd like to see the development of the ground continue, even if its only minor improvements, in terms of entry and exit, improved access to terraces etc. its important to kick on in that regard.

If we can reach 4k season ticket holders itd be superb. Also think the Branch need to look at the HC pricing especially for the Italian game, 25 general admission is enough. Its easy enough make up the other money if you get people in the ground. 7000 * 25 is better than 5000 * 30. Also makes it easier tap up local business for a few euro if you can bring 7000+ rather than 5000+ into the town on an otherwise quiet winters evening.

Also increased connection with clubs/supporters throughout the province is essential if Connacht Rugby is to grow much more.

_nobody_ wrote: ...realistic targets for the year... both on...

Rabo: We should be looking for one home win against one of the other provinces; allowing for the fact that Ospreys are bloody good and one other off night, 6 from 8 home wins against the non-Irish teams; and in addition we should repeat our 2 away wins of this season. So - 9 wins would be an acceptable mark.

HEC: 2 wins against Zebre, 1 other win.

Other: Against Aironi at one stage we had 7 Connacht born & bred players (Buckley, Loughs, Mul, JOC, TOH, Griffin, Gav) on the field. I'd like to see that topped some time this season. A kick conversion rate of 70%+ would be nice, and while I'm being greedy I'd like to see the upward graph in our scrummaging last season (from hopeless at the start to reqlly quite decent by the end, all credit tooo Dan McFarland) continue.

_nobody_ wrote: ...and off the pitch?

Full house for Biarritz, 6000+ for the other two HEC games, no Rabo gate under 4000, and hopefully a modest increase in the average attendance from ~5000 to ~5500.

1000+ at the Biarritz away game, and a decent showing for the HEC trip to Zebre and the annual pilgrimage to The Stoop.

Replica kits some time before Halloween would be nice, as would an end to Friday night games except where required by TV (these just don't perform attendance-wise), and sorting out the PA issues on the Clan side.

Was thinking that nobody has made a 2012/2013 season thread yet, and there you go, _nobody_ has made one!