Connacht 2022/23

[cormac]

A finale that sums up both teams.

[Oldschoolsocks]

Hugh Cahill is a dopey twit

Genuine question.... do other provincial supporters like him? He seems to have a fondness for Munster, do there supporters think hes good?

Who's telling RTE he's good?

Have a trip down to Shelbyville, they’ll tell you all about the Leinster biased Dublin meedja.

If it’s not TRK or ROG they hate ‘em.

[sunshiner1]

John Porch talking about leaving. Fans won't be happy if he goes. He's one of their better players.

[betty swallocks]

He's good, but he's plateaued. With Kilgallen and Chay Mullins coming through and if they can get and keep Adam Byrne fit then they will cope. Hansen going onto a central contract will help too.

[berliner]

He's good, but he's plateaued. With Kilgallen and Chay Mullins coming through and if they can get and keep Adam Byrne fit then they will cope. Hansen going onto a central contract will help too.

Hansen signed a provincial contract for three years in May, so unless there is some means of shifting onto a central mid-contract (never heard of that) then the benefit is a long time away.

[sunshiner1]

Jack Carty's kicking stats this season are 62% which is abysmal. With Hawkshaw now injured they need to find a kicker on the team to take over from Carty or there season is totally screwed.

[Laighin Break]

Is Fitzgerald fit?

[sunshiner1]

by Laighin Break

Is Fitzgerald fit?

Not sure but even if he is he's not much of a step-up from Carty. Carty is a decent game-manager they just need a kicker to do the business. If I was Friend I would be giving the responsibility to someone else. The frustration is their is players like Daly/Hanson/Jennings/Hawkshaw who have all played out-half before who could do it.

[naraic]

Jack Carty's kicking stats this season are 62% which is abysmal. With Hawkshaw now injured they need to find a kicker on the team to take over from Carty or there season is totally screwed.

I'm not sure if Connacht have a kicking coach.

In Carty's best season where his kicking stats were around 79% Richie Murphy traveled down West one day a week.

[berliner]

by Laighin Break

Is Fitzgerald fit?

Not sure but even if he is he's not much of a step-up from Carty. Carty is a decent game-manager they just need a kicker to do the business. If I was Friend I would be giving the responsibility to someone else. The frustration is their is players like Daly/Hanson/Jennings/Hawkshaw who have all played out-half before who could do it.

AFAIK Fitzgerald is fit, and he did kick well against Brive. But he had a bunch of starts at 10 in 2019-21 period without taking proper hold of the jersey, and I prefer Jack' game management (although his confidence is shot). Daly has filled in at 10 when required, had a good boot and is a decent kicker. But are Connacht management going to drop Carty for TD at 10 - I don't think so.

It puts us in a tough spot, we need someone on the pitch to take the kicks. Best solution might be tone of the aforementioned at 15 - Fitzgerald has already played a bit this season - we will survive without Tiernan....

Did Forde kick for the U20s? He's being pushed at 12 where we have a bit of congestion, if they've given up on him at 10 we're going to need to recruit, but no one comes instantly to mind.

[sunshiner1]

by naraic

I'm not sure if Connacht have a kicking coach.

In Carty's best season where his kicking stats were around 79% Richie Murphy traveled down West one day a week.

AFAIK they don't but if Murphy came down and got Carty that high then why not continue it? Connacht are leaving 17% of the points they could be getting because they can't/won't pay Murphy to come down. This strikes me as crazy. Murphy is a IRFU employee couldn't they put it in his contract for him to come down? Getting Connacht into the Heineken Cup is good for the IRFU and it might not happen with Carty's current form.

by berliner

Not sure but even if he is he's not much of a step-up from Carty. Carty is a decent game-manager they just need a kicker to do the business. If I was Friend I would be giving the responsibility to someone else. The frustration is their is players like Daly/Hanson/Jennings/Hawkshaw who have all played out-half before who could do it.

AFAIK Fitzgerald is fit, and he did kick well against Brive. But he had a bunch of starts at 10 in 2019-21 period without taking proper hold of the jersey, and I prefer Jack' game management (although his confidence is shot). Daly has filled in at 10 when required, had a good boot and is a decent kicker. But are Connacht management going to drop Carty for TD at 10 - I don't think so.

It puts us in a tough spot, we need someone on the pitch to take the kicks. Best solution might be tone of the aforementioned at 15 - Fitzgerald has already played a bit this season - we will survive without Tiernan....

Did Forde kick for the U20s? He's being pushed at 12 where we have a bit of congestion, if they've given up on him at 10 we're going to need to recruit, but no one comes instantly to mind.

I don't rate Fitzgerald highly either unfortunately. Daly could play 12 more keeping Carty at ten solving the problem. I am not sure if Forde kicked during the U20's but he can kick so why not try him?

[berliner]

by naraic

I'm not sure if Connacht have a kicking coach.

In Carty's best season where his kicking stats were around 79% Richie Murphy traveled down West one day a week.

AFAIK they don't but if Murphy came down and got Carty that high then why not continue it? Connacht are leaving 17% of the points they could be getting because they can't/won't pay Murphy to come down. This strikes me as crazy. Murphy is a IRFU employee couldn't they put it in his contract for him to come down? Getting Connacht into the Heineken Cup is good for the IRFU and it might not happen with Carty's current form.

by berliner

Not sure but even if he is he's not much of a step-up from Carty. Carty is a decent game-manager they just need a kicker to do the business. If I was Friend I would be giving the responsibility to someone else. The frustration is their is players like Daly/Hanson/Jennings/Hawkshaw who have all played out-half before who could do it.

AFAIK Fitzgerald is fit, and he did kick well against Brive. But he had a bunch of starts at 10 in 2019-21 period without taking proper hold of the jersey, and I prefer Jack' game management (although his confidence is shot). Daly has filled in at 10 when required, had a good boot and is a decent kicker. But are Connacht management going to drop Carty for TD at 10 - I don't think so.

It puts us in a tough spot, we need someone on the pitch to take the kicks. Best solution might be tone of the aforementioned at 15 - Fitzgerald has already played a bit this season - we will survive without Tiernan....

Did Forde kick for the U20s? He's being pushed at 12 where we have a bit of congestion, if they've given up on him at 10 we're going to need to recruit, but no one comes instantly to mind.

I don't rate Fitzgerald highly either unfortunately. Daly could play 12 more keeping Carty at ten solving the problem. I am not sure if Forde kicked during the U20's but he can kick so why not try him?

I haven't liked Daly's performances at 12 since his injury in late '21, he's been poor defensively and ineffective in attack. His discipline has also been poor, although that may be a result of him trying to overcompensate for errors. Plus at some point Bundee will return to what is his best role. Farrell is coming good again at 13, so moving TD out is not an option for me.

This season was always going to be hard due to the unfavourable qualification rules, pools system etc. I'm at peace with the fact that we will have another year in the Challenge Cup. The current management effort is a real mixed bag, there has been a lot of progress up front where we look really competitive for the first time in years, but the back line is a shambles. I would like to see players like Forde get a run of games so that they have time to develop and there is some prospect of making a realistic assessment of their potential, as opposed to the chopping and changing typical of selectors who feel under pressure to deliver short-term results.

Carty will recover his form, but Connacht still need to end their reliance on him at 10 - there has to be competition in every position. They also need to press on with the transition at 15, rather than reverting to TOH, who should only be a break glass option off the bench.

[Oldschoolsocks]

by naraic

I'm not sure if Connacht have a kicking coach.

In Carty's best season where his kicking stats were around 79% Richie Murphy traveled down West one day a week.

AFAIK they don't but if Murphy came down and got Carty that high then why not continue it? Connacht are leaving 17% of the points they could be getting because they can't/won't pay Murphy to come down. This strikes me as crazy. Murphy is a IRFU employee couldn't they put it in his contract for him to come down? Getting Connacht into the Heineken Cup is good for the IRFU and it might not happen with Carty's current form.

by berliner

Not sure but even if he is he's not much of a step-up from Carty. Carty is a decent game-manager they just need a kicker to do the business. If I was Friend I would be giving the responsibility to someone else. The frustration is their is players like Daly/Hanson/Jennings/Hawkshaw who have all played out-half before who could do it.

AFAIK Fitzgerald is fit, and he did kick well against Brive. But he had a bunch of starts at 10 in 2019-21 period without taking proper hold of the jersey, and I prefer Jack' game management (although his confidence is shot). Daly has filled in at 10 when required, had a good boot and is a decent kicker. But are Connacht management going to drop Carty for TD at 10 - I don't think so.

It puts us in a tough spot, we need someone on the pitch to take the kicks. Best solution might be tone of the aforementioned at 15 - Fitzgerald has already played a bit this season - we will survive without Tiernan....

Did Forde kick for the U20s? He's being pushed at 12 where we have a bit of congestion, if they've given up on him at 10 we're going to need to recruit, but no one comes instantly to mind.

I don't rate Fitzgerald highly either unfortunately. Daly could play 12 more keeping Carty at ten solving the problem. I am not sure if Forde kicked during the U20's but he can kick so why not try him?

Re Richie Murphy going to Connacht once per week, as far as I know Murphy is the fulltime under 20s coach, so his plate is probably full.

But yeah, I don’t know why any provincial setup wouldn't have some kind of skills coach and you’d assume that role would include place kicking. Do Connacht have a fulltime skills coach does anyone know?

[sunshiner1]

by Oldschoolsocks » January 4th, 2023, 1:01 pm

Re Richie Murphy going to Connacht once per week, as far as I know Murphy is the fulltime under 20s coach, so his plate is probably full.

But yeah, I don’t know why any provincial setup wouldn't have some kind of skills coach and you’d assume that role would include place kicking. Do Connacht have a fulltime skills coach does anyone know?

AFAIK they don't due to cutbacks and haven't had one since Lam. I could be wrong. I know that Connacht are on a shoestring budget but you'd think the IRFU would want all their players up to a certain standard for the Internationals at least.

[Dave Cahill]

Mossy Lawlor is Connacht skills coach

[ronk]

Connacht lost 5 of their 6 interpros, the 2 home losses were narrow enough to Leinster and Ulster.

They also lost 2 games in SA. And that's their 7 losses. We don't really know how their form is because their calendar was so front loaded and so much harder for them with conferences. They (and the Lions) got the worst end of the stick.

Connacht's route out of this is to start winning interpros, but that's bad for the other provinces so it's not really in the IRFU interest to have a too strong Connacht right now.

Connacht can afford to be entertaining losers (to a point) and beyond that they should develop talent for Ireland. 3 players regularly in 23s is really useful to Ireland.

[naraic]

by naraic

I'm not sure if Connacht have a kicking coach.

In Carty's best season where his kicking stats were around 79% Richie Murphy traveled down West one day a week.

AFAIK they don't but if Murphy came down and got Carty that high then why not continue it? Connacht are leaving 17% of the points they could be getting because they can't/won't pay Murphy to come down. This strikes me as crazy. Murphy is a IRFU employee couldn't they put it in his contract for him to come down? Getting Connacht into the Heineken Cup is good for the IRFU and it might not happen with Carty's current form.

Presumably U20 coach is a full time role.

Re Richie Murphy going to Connacht once per week, as far as I know Murphy is the fulltime under 20s coach, so his plate is probably full.

But yeah, I don’t know why any provincial setup wouldn't have some kind of skills coach and you’d assume that role would include place kicking. Do Connacht have a fulltime skills coach does anyone know?

You are probably correct that Richie Murphy as 20s coach probably doesn't have the available he used to have. He did the one day a week in Connacht when he was the Irish skills coach.

The Connacht attack coach is their skills coach. Mossie Lawlor. He was never a regular place kicker himself so I doubt he adds a lot of value if place kicking is part of his duties.

[IanD]

I would suggest that Carty dosent need a kicking coach but a sports phycologist.

I have joked for years that if Carty missed his first kick at goal that I would switch kicker as he would miss again. If he missed touch with a kick I would sub him off.

In a Leinster Connacht match I am always delighted to see him miss a kick - obviously - because I always feel it's the first of many and his head will drop.

This season he seems to be putting himself under lots of pressure and it is not helping him at all.

[naraic]

Sharks apparently sending a much weakened team to Connacht this weekend.

I guess its a result of their travelling commitments.

Their next 4 games are

Connacht A
Bordeaux H
Harlequins A
Edinburgh A
Stormers H

Sending their first team up for a single away match puts a lot of travel. They must be targeting Europe and the two match tour for Harlequins and Edinburgh.

[desperado]

Wonder what's the story with Bundee Aki. Not in the 23 for Connacht again this weekend. When was the last time he played a rugby match. With Henshaw currently out injured one would expect that Faz would like him getting some game time.