Connacht 2022/23
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LeRouxIsPHat
- Jamie Heaslip
- Posts: 15008
- Joined: January 22nd, 2009, 7:49 pm
Re: Connacht 2022/23
Getting Joey to chase that restart when he’s not used to playing fullback and is struggling enough already seems a bit stupid. It’s not like he’s known for being a great kick chaser and has been useless under the high ball today, often not even getting his arms up in the air never mind his body.
Re: Connacht 2022/23
Busby is trialling the no offside law. Interesting.
"Horrocks went one way, Taylor the other and I was left holding the bloody hyphen!"
~The Late Great Mick English
~The Late Great Mick English
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LeRouxIsPHat
- Jamie Heaslip
- Posts: 15008
- Joined: January 22nd, 2009, 7:49 pm
Re: Connacht 2022/23
Two points down and they take off the guy with the big boot? Healy has been poor today but I think he had to stay on all the same. Not sure what they’ve seen from Joey for them to think he’ll do well at ten.
Re: Connacht 2022/23
Dooley has been class since coming in. Handling is brilliant.
Re: Connacht 2022/23
Looked like Connacht knocked on there at the back of the ruck.
"Horrocks went one way, Taylor the other and I was left holding the bloody hyphen!"
~The Late Great Mick English
~The Late Great Mick English
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LeRouxIsPHat
- Jamie Heaslip
- Posts: 15008
- Joined: January 22nd, 2009, 7:49 pm
Re: Connacht 2022/23
Scannell getting away with that one is crazy!
Re: Connacht 2022/23
Do either of these teams actually want to win?
"Horrocks went one way, Taylor the other and I was left holding the bloody hyphen!"
~The Late Great Mick English
~The Late Great Mick English
Re: Connacht 2022/23
After scoring from a maul earlier, why would you not go for the line out from that penalty?
Re: Connacht 2022/23
Busby must be blind. Criminal. Archer jumps the gun; Scannell flops over the ruck. Seriously... right in front of Sir
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LeRouxIsPHat
- Jamie Heaslip
- Posts: 15008
- Joined: January 22nd, 2009, 7:49 pm
Re: Connacht 2022/23
Decent kick from Coombes but what the f%~k was that 
Re: Connacht 2022/23
That scrum exit from Munster was hilarious. Busby finally spots someone coming in from the side
Look out Itchy, he's Irish
Re: Connacht 2022/23
Connacht lineout has been very impressive.
The only decent thing about the match.
The only decent thing about the match.
"Horrocks went one way, Taylor the other and I was left holding the bloody hyphen!"
~The Late Great Mick English
~The Late Great Mick English
Re: Connacht 2022/23
Hon Connacht! Massive win!
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LeRouxIsPHat
- Jamie Heaslip
- Posts: 15008
- Joined: January 22nd, 2009, 7:49 pm
Re: Connacht 2022/23
I think that’s pretty impressive from Connacht. Much better than previous games, ref was tough on them but they kept going, and they overcame the missed kicks. Some decent rugby in the first quarter as well.
Munster just terrible. No attacking game at all and they were blessed that Busby kept them in the game. Tadhg Beirne maybe the only Munster player who played well but still far from his usual impact. I can’t think of anything positive that Carbery did but there were loads of bad errors. I was excited to see him at fullback but that was a dreadful performance.
Munster just terrible. No attacking game at all and they were blessed that Busby kept them in the game. Tadhg Beirne maybe the only Munster player who played well but still far from his usual impact. I can’t think of anything positive that Carbery did but there were loads of bad errors. I was excited to see him at fullback but that was a dreadful performance.
Re: Connacht 2022/23
OTT killing it above.
That was a poor game in all aspects – two teams who made a lot of errors in all parts of the game, an irritating and mistaken-ridden performance from the referee and the usual quotient of wasted time.
Carty missing three very gettable kicks ... every place-kick he attempted, in fact. His failings made that game a lot closer than it should have been. There were too teams playing pretty poor rugby out there, but it was more obvious from viewing than the scoreboard that there was one team who had a bit of spark. It might seem too obvious to say, but those sort of place-kicking chances are gimme rewards for some decent play. Failing to take them gives the opposition confidence as well as not helping yourself.
I thought all four of the Connacht props played quite well. I read earlier this week that Delahunt might be back in a month or so, and with Tierney-Martin getting some exposure with Emerging Ireland over in South Africa, they look a bit stronger down the depth chart in that front row unit than they have in recent seasons.
That was a poor game in all aspects – two teams who made a lot of errors in all parts of the game, an irritating and mistaken-ridden performance from the referee and the usual quotient of wasted time.
Carty missing three very gettable kicks ... every place-kick he attempted, in fact. His failings made that game a lot closer than it should have been. There were too teams playing pretty poor rugby out there, but it was more obvious from viewing than the scoreboard that there was one team who had a bit of spark. It might seem too obvious to say, but those sort of place-kicking chances are gimme rewards for some decent play. Failing to take them gives the opposition confidence as well as not helping yourself.
I thought all four of the Connacht props played quite well. I read earlier this week that Delahunt might be back in a month or so, and with Tierney-Martin getting some exposure with Emerging Ireland over in South Africa, they look a bit stronger down the depth chart in that front row unit than they have in recent seasons.
Re: Connacht 2022/23
Should have mentioned the Connacht second rows, who all played well.
Their 6-2 selection split on the bench, whether you credit it to Friend or Wilkins, was also a big success. They were able to get five good forward subs on to the pitch in the space of 15 minutes [Dooley for Buckley on 47', Josh Murphy for Hurley-Langton on 50', Boyle for Butler on 54', Aungier for Bealham on 58' and Niall Murray for Oisin Dowling on 62'], despite not using their hooker sub [Grant Stewart, lately of Glasgow] at all.
That was basically Munster's entire first-choice pack that started – if anybody wants to quibble about Knox over Archer, grand. Friend and Wilkins have obviously been watching Munster's first three games and knew that there was unlikely to be a significant attacking threat in the backline. Munster's attack has been tragic thus far, and furthermore they're missing all of their back three players – Conway, Earls, Zebo, Haley, Nash and Daly.
The most likely way that Munster were going to win that match was by trying to pound Connacht up front, so it seems to me that the Connacht coaching staff pragmatically selected a side to prepare for that, rather than optimistically select a side to attack Munster's inexperienced back three. They also recognised that it was likely to be a tight game, and getting experienced, title-winning players like Dooley and Murphy [their first two subs] off the bench and into the match early would give them a good chance of edging a squeaker.
On paper, there should have been a performance gap between a backrow of O'Donoghue/O'Mahony/Coombes against Hurley-Langton/Oliver/Butler, but there wasn't. Ditto the second row of Kleyn/Beirne vs Thornbury/Dowling. The front row looked like a pick'em, but Connacht's players played quite a lot better than their opponents from the outset*.
*EDIT: outset rather than offset.
Their 6-2 selection split on the bench, whether you credit it to Friend or Wilkins, was also a big success. They were able to get five good forward subs on to the pitch in the space of 15 minutes [Dooley for Buckley on 47', Josh Murphy for Hurley-Langton on 50', Boyle for Butler on 54', Aungier for Bealham on 58' and Niall Murray for Oisin Dowling on 62'], despite not using their hooker sub [Grant Stewart, lately of Glasgow] at all.
That was basically Munster's entire first-choice pack that started – if anybody wants to quibble about Knox over Archer, grand. Friend and Wilkins have obviously been watching Munster's first three games and knew that there was unlikely to be a significant attacking threat in the backline. Munster's attack has been tragic thus far, and furthermore they're missing all of their back three players – Conway, Earls, Zebo, Haley, Nash and Daly.
The most likely way that Munster were going to win that match was by trying to pound Connacht up front, so it seems to me that the Connacht coaching staff pragmatically selected a side to prepare for that, rather than optimistically select a side to attack Munster's inexperienced back three. They also recognised that it was likely to be a tight game, and getting experienced, title-winning players like Dooley and Murphy [their first two subs] off the bench and into the match early would give them a good chance of edging a squeaker.
On paper, there should have been a performance gap between a backrow of O'Donoghue/O'Mahony/Coombes against Hurley-Langton/Oliver/Butler, but there wasn't. Ditto the second row of Kleyn/Beirne vs Thornbury/Dowling. The front row looked like a pick'em, but Connacht's players played quite a lot better than their opponents from the outset*.
*EDIT: outset rather than offset.
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Laighin Break
- Mullet
- Posts: 1829
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Re: Connacht 2022/23
Marcus Horan interviewed Mack Hansen during his warm-up with the usual questions that give us 0 insights. Hansen spoke about Munster having big lads in the centre and speedsters in back three, before adding "except Joey Carbery"
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riocard911
- Shane Jennings
- Posts: 5969
- Joined: July 27th, 2015, 10:42 pm
Re: Connacht 2022/23
Two things stood out for me about that Connacht performance vs Munster:
1. They've somehow managed to get their line out together. For years it was their Achilles Heel, but last night it was a continuous source of good ball. They even managed to steal at least one of Munster's throw ins. Wow!
2. On a night when Carty had left his kicking boots in the locker, they were lucky they had Conor Fitzgerald on the pitch. That 50-22 from his own 22 turned the whole momentum of the game and got Connacht camped deep in Munster territory till the end of the match and their third try. The conversion of said try from close to the left touchline, with him deliberately pushing the ball outside the right upright, only for the wind to bring it back in, was magnificent, made it an eight point game and put victory beyond doubt. Fair play to him.
1. They've somehow managed to get their line out together. For years it was their Achilles Heel, but last night it was a continuous source of good ball. They even managed to steal at least one of Munster's throw ins. Wow!
2. On a night when Carty had left his kicking boots in the locker, they were lucky they had Conor Fitzgerald on the pitch. That 50-22 from his own 22 turned the whole momentum of the game and got Connacht camped deep in Munster territory till the end of the match and their third try. The conversion of said try from close to the left touchline, with him deliberately pushing the ball outside the right upright, only for the wind to bring it back in, was magnificent, made it an eight point game and put victory beyond doubt. Fair play to him.