With the season kick off only hours away, regular Connacht Clan contributor Salmson gives his views on what's to come ...
The Kiwi Invasion
It’s the time of year when Connacht fans can look forward to the season with anticipation and often unreasonable hope. In that vein this preview starts in the obvious way, looking at the high profile signings from New Zealand. Of course there’s an obvious place to start…
Mils
The arrival of Mils Muliaina was the transfer news of the season in rugby, at least until David Humphreys jumped ship to Gloucester. A 100-times capped All-Black rocking up at the Sportsground raised eyebrows throughout Irish rugby and beyond. Outlandish claims of a 300,000 euro one year contract circulated in the media, no doubt issuing from the fevered mind of some paranoid provincial source or other. The actual amount is more likely to resemble Connacht’s previous best ever contract offer: the widely reported 180,000 a year offered to Mike McCarthy prior to his move to Leinster.
Muliaina spent a couple of years after World Cup 2011 in the well-paid semi-retirement of Japanese rugby, but he played the first half of the Super Rugby season with the Chiefs and looked well up to speed prior to a season-ending elbow injury. As has been amply covered elsewhere, he is to combine his playing duties with acting as mentor to the young Connacht backline.
Bundee Aki
In addition to signing Muliaina, 2 other Kiwis were recruited. Centre Bundee Aki was described by Bernard Jackman on RTE’s Against The Head as “the best centre available on the market” this summer. Jackman ruefully pointed out that he should know: he was looking. Aki had been identified as a future All Black, but with Sonny Bill Williams signing for the Chiefs for 2015 he obviously felt his way was blocked at provincial and national level.
Again, questions were asked as to how Connacht could afford him, and how they could out-bid Leinster by a supposed 40K (hint: it might have something to do with them re-signing Michael Bent-lase for 2 years on more money than any Connacht player was earning). In truth, Connacht got lucky with budget this year, the expected retirement/release of Parks, Duffy, Murphy, and Tonetti along with the unexpected injury enforced retirements of Wilkinson, Clarke, and O’Donohoe freeing up large amounts of cash. In contrast, the retirement of BOD did nothing for Leinster’s finances as he was paid out of the central IRFU pool rather than Leinster’s own playing budget. The more pertinent question is how either player was brought to Ireland when they could have comfortably doubled their money in France. Great credit is due to Pat Lam for convincing the pair that they should come to Connacht.
Muliaina may be getting on but Aki’s best years are ahead of him, and he has looked the real deal in his two Super rugby seasons. Classified as a crash-ball 12, he has a good step and more than enough pace to belie that description. He also possesses good passing skills as evidenced by his use as a designated alternate 9 when the break-happy Chiefs’ scrum-halves are buried at the bottom of rucks, which happens remarkably often. His defensive work is excellent too: the Chiefs like to leave their centres defending either end of the defensive line with the back 3 deep (as Ireland did with O’Driscoll and D’arcy at their peak), effectively forcing both centres to defend as 13s. His judgement on when to chase up and when to drift is excellent, and he usually produces at least 2 man and ball hits a game. On the debit side he seems to lack an offloading or kicking game.
… and Tom
The last and least heralded signing is that of experienced Blues hooker Tom McCartney, but it could be the best. The addition of a proven hooker was desirable: Connacht’s senior hookers are the competent but injury prone Seán Henry and Jason Harris-Wright, supported by flanker convert Dave Heffernan, who is a beast of a young lad but, understandably after only 18 months as a hooker, has yet to answer questions about his setpiece play. Just as importantly McCartney, known as “Freak” to his Blues teammates due to his exceptional strength, has also played an entire Super rugby season at loosehead prop. Given Brett Wilkinson’s retirement leaves the province with just 4 frontline props, this adaptability could prove vital.
The 3 new arrivals join White, Ah You, Heenan, Naoupu, Nikora and Fafita (born in Tonga) to form the biggest contingent after native Connacht players in the senior squad – Connacht 14, New Zealand/Islands 9, Leinster 8, Exiles 3, Munster 2, Ulster 2, South Africa 2, Australia 1. Naoupu’s career appears to be on the wind-down (the former rampaging No. 8 was most recently seen playing lock for the A team) and Fafita has been used as a back-up player but the other seven could all reasonably expect to make the matchday 23 when fit.
Introducing the Other New Boys.
In the last post I discussed our three new Kiwi recruits, but of course in a sport where a typical senior contract is only two years long, you can expect at least a third of your squad to turn over in any given summer. That means there are quite a few other – ten in fact – additions to the senior squad. Here they are…
The Leinster loanees
John Cooney
The signing of John Cooney on loan from Leinster is a great move for all concerned. Leinster need to replace one if not two scrumhalves in the next year or two, so getting Cooney as much experience as possible is a priority. Conversely Connacht have no need of a starting scrumhalf, but will need a good backup this season as Kieron Marmion can expect to be away on Ireland duty for a couple of months. The only potential cloud on this horizon is that Cooney is still back in Dublin rehab-ing from injury; by the time he gets to Connacht the back-up 9 position may have been taken.
Quinn Roux
If Cooney’s signing makes a great deal of sense, Roux’s seems to make very little. Two years ago he bust his shoulder in the warm-up at the Sportsground in one of his first games, and his career at Leinster never took off after that. At times he’s looked like he’s unable or unwilling to tackle – as if he’s still carrying an injury. Still, he was good enough to start in an Amlin Cup final against Stade Francais, and against Ulster in last year’s Pro12 semifinal. With Kane Douglas maybe not making the opening European games due to international commitments, Leinster are one injury away from having to start Ben Marshall in big games. Even stranger, Roux’s initial loan period is only for the first half of the season. Quite what use he’d be to Leinster at that point is open to question – Douglas will have arrived, at least one other young lock will have gained experience, and Roux will be cup-tied in Europe. One can only imagine that Connacht had to have their collective arm twisted into taking him and wanted an out should he fail to impress. Here’s hoping he proves everyone wrong.
The Academy Graduates
Finlay Bealham
Bealham is an Irish-qualified Australian who as recruited to Ireland’s Under 20s and then to Connacht’s academy. He made several appearances off the bench last season but did little to impress, the scrum notably imploding away to a well-beaten Zebre when he came on. Hopefully these are merely the teething problems of a young prop, and we’re looking at another Rodney. In Dan We Trust.
Jack Carty
Carty missed the end of last season and some of pre-season after ankle surgery. Previously he’d impressed in starts against Leinster in the league and Zebre in European competition. He’s unquestionably the most talented of the three flyhalves on the books, and despite his relatively frail build he’s a pacy and determined defender, as anyone who saw him run down and smash Tom Varndell in a friendly against Wasps last summer will confirm. Whether he’ll be first choice or playing with the Eagles this year is anyone’s guess, so little is there to pick between our prospective tens.
Conor Finn
Yet to make his senior debut, Finn is a hotly tipped centre. Having missed the Eagles games last year I can’t tell you much about him at all.
Darragh Leader
Leader got serious gametime last year, and played everywhere from 10 to 15. Brave under a high ball and with a savage boot on him, he may share fullback duties with Muliaina this season, allowing Henshaw to play 13. His development over the course of last season allied to his positional flexibility mean that at worst he should be on the bench for most games. Leader is also expected to be our long-distance place kicker.
Shane Layden
Another utility back, he has suffered terribly with injury. A one-year contract means it’s sink or swim time; if he can stay injury free he could push for Wolfhounds recognition, never mind a Connacht berth, but equally he could be finished in the professional game in nine months time.
…and The Rest.
Niyi Adeolokun
Late of Trinity (Dublin University), the pacy winger is another of our long line of Leinster cast-offs (Keatley, Carr, McSharry, Kearney, Healy, Ronaldson) signed from AIL clubs. A look at his YouTube clips suggests he is a remorselessly physical defender. He made his debut for Connacht in the pre-season friendly against Clermont, scoring an excellent try from distance by attacking a gap on halfway, goose-stepping a tackle, and accelerating to the line. More of the same please.
Shane O’Leary
The Limerick player opted to play a season for Grenoble’s Espoirs last time out, and was rewarded with 1 start and 4 substitute appearances in the Amlin Cup. He was used at 12 and 13 by Grenoble but also can play flyhalf. As per Muliaina, Aki, Henshaw, O’Halloran, Layden and Leader his ability to play multiple positions should be a boon for Connacht this coming season.
Ian Porter
At 26 Porter has only a couple of starts and 9 sub caps for Ulster, but was excellent in those appearances and has a great deal of AIL experience. He is a noted goalkicker – both in terms of range and percentage scored – and will almost certainly start against the Dragons in the first Pro12 game, as Marmion will be rested and Cooney is not fit.
So that’s Connacht’s signings for the summer: headliners, squad fillers, potential-heavy punts, and the downright quirky. Next up I’ll look at where we didn’t make signings – and are therefore lacking, and what’s changed and needs to change in the coaching setup and gameplan.
What should Lam be concerned about?
The first two parts of this preview introduced the new arrivals. This post addresses those areas in which Connacht came up short last season.
Retirements
The implosion against Saracens in our last HEC match was bad enough, but career-ending injuries to Wilkinson and Clarke threatened to turn a rout into a disaster.
In the front-row last year we were operating with 4 front line props last season, with Buckley on the naughty step for the first half of the season and Wilkinson injured for the latter half. McCartney has the ability to play loosehead, so Connacht are in a similar or slightly better position numbers-wise.
At lock Clarke was always going to be irreplaceable. Therefore Connacht have gone with a lock-idol approach and thrown numbers at the problem. Kearney is likely to continue his remarkable progress of the last few seasons, Michael Swift is retained for his 22nd season as in Danny Qualter for a 2nd year, Quinn Roux is in on loan from Leinster, and George Naoupu has been used at lock as well as in the backrow in pre-season – a change he may need to make on a permanent basis if he fancies a few more years at Connacht. If Andrew Browne can stay fit – he’s already injured and the season hasn’t kicked off yet – and Ally Muldowney shows up for more than a few minutes at a time this year, we should be able to put out consistently good lock combinations while rotating personnel.
If Connacht fans can be reasonably sanguine about the condition of the pack, then the other high profile retirement – Dan Parks – brings us neatly to our first big problem position, flyhalf.
The No. 10
Nobody who watched Connacht over the last season was surprised when Parks was released. In his first season Connacht handed Leinster their backsides on his debut, going on to add the scalps of the Pro12 and Amlin Cup winners to that of the back-to-back HEC winners. He scored 10 drop goals, including 6 in the league (Connacht had managed 23 in the 11 previous league seasons). Last year however it was immediately obvious that he was done. His kicking percentage from the tee was under 60%; he seemed to struggle with the demands of Lam’s game, but in truth from game one it was obvious he had no length in his previously howitzer-like kicking from hand.
Therefore this year we’re going with the 3 players who backed up Parks last year.
Miah Nikora has been around for five years and is approaching 30. He’s an excellent passer and brave defender with a variable kicking game who has had injury issues over the years. He was backup to Ian Keatley for his first two seasons, and to Parks in his last two. He should have been given an opportunity to nail down a starting position in 2011/12, but was inexplicably overlooked for Niall O’Connor: I don’t care what juicy dirt Paddy Wallace had on Declan Kidney, it’s surely nothing on what O’Connor had on Eric Elwood. Nikora is only on a one-year contract now, and you sense that this is a talented player whose chance of being our first choice flyhalf has passed him by.
Craig Ronaldson was signed from Lansdowne last summer. He’s a big lad with a lovely step who adapted very well to the rigours of the professional game. Most of his early games came as an emergency 12, and he impressed, but he struggled when deployed at 10. It’s very hard to know whether he’s an option at all at 10. That he didn’t start either preseason game, or for either side in the Probables vs. Possibles game, would suggest he’ll be a backup option.
That leaves Jack Carty as the great white hope at 10. He had fine performances against Zebre and Leinster last year before departing for an ankle reconstruction, though in true Connacht branch style this wasn’t mentioned until he was coming back from injury this summer, so everyone thought he’d been dropped. As a slight but tough and intelligent player who can really get a backline going, but has range issues with his kicking, he is in many ways a younger Nikora.
The No. 8
The second position of very real concern is No. 8, where, as with 10, we’re hoping someone comes good rather than looking at an obvious candidate for the position.
The incumbent, if there is one, is Eoin McKeon. His breakthrough season in 2012/13 saw him introduce himself as a smallish but incredibly fast number 8 who made breaks like a centre, offered a great lineout option, and provided cover at 6 and 7. Unfortunately last season went disastrously badly for the first two thirds of the campaign. Injury ruled him out for September and October, and on his return his form was poor and he seemed to lack the previous year’s dynamism. He also developed a worrying tendency to knock on the ball from even the most basic of set-plays, particularly while executing exits from our 22. Thankfully his form improved greatly in the Spring and he scored 3 tries. If he can return to the form and fitness of his first season 8 won’t be a problem, but at the moment that’s a big if.
Sharing 8 duties with McKeon was George Naoupu. He’s a Connacht favourite but last year he struggled to generate any go-forward from 8, running upright, getting turned over, and at times seeming to carry an injury. His best performances over the last couple of years have been at lock, the position he played when he captained New Zealand under-20s, and it’s possible that might become a permanent positional move. If he can reclaim his past form at 8 there are few better around, but as with McKeon that’s a big if.
Beyond that there are few options. Captain Muldoon is a top-class 6, but not remotely that good at 8; and after that we’re into a plethora of young lads – the academy 8s Masterson and Connolly, or sometime-locks Qualter and Sean O’Brien.
The elephant in the room.
Through last year, whatever about results, it was very impressive the way Lam went about rectifying the biggest offensive and defensive issues he encountered: handling skills have come on in leaps and bounds, while a frankly ineffective high/choke tackling technique has been replaced by low, accurate tackling. The strength and conditioning setup has been renewed both in terms of personnel and facilities, the academy players and coaches are integrated into first team training, and Lam has added two extra coaches.
But we still don’t know if the dominant issue from last season has been addressed.
Last year Connacht lost 7 of 22 league games by less than a score. None of the four flyhalves could achieve even a 60% success-rate, when most teams had one or more kickers hitting in the region 80%. Winning just 2 of those 7 games would have given Connacht a best-ever finish of 7th.
This year we’re running with 3 of the same flyhalves. Additionally there are 3 other kickers in the squad – scrumhalf Porter, who may get the job on the first day against Dragons, centre O’Leary, and utility back Leader. However none of these are guaranteed to start.
Connacht need to find or manufacture a 75%-plus kicker; this is the issue that scuppered us last year, and it can’t be allowed to again.
Read more from Salmson at http://honconnacht.wordpress.com/
