Club: Connacht
Last season: 10th
Odds for the title: 150/1
Season opener: home v Dragons, 22nd September
Ins
Mel Deane, Gavin Duffy (both Harlequins), Tim Donnelly (Brive), Andrew Dunne, John Lyne (both Leinster), Mike McCarthy, Robbie Morris (both Newcastle), Kevin Moran (Moseley), Johnny O’Connor (Wasps), Ofisa Treviranus (Samoa)
Outs
Ray Hogan (Bristol), Chris Keane, Stephen Knoop (both Leinster), Mark McHugh (Montpellier), Paul Warwick (Munster), Matt Lacey, Ted Robinson, Brendan O’Connor, David Slemen, Brett Sturgess, Gavin Williams (all released)
The manager preview
Connacht team manager Tim Allnutt reckons there’s exciting times ahead for the fourth Irish province
You always talked about getting some of the old Connacht boys back, but we never thought you’d actually do it. How much work went into it?
Ah mate, I don’t know where to start. Johnny’s been a target ever since he left basically because he’s a local hero back in Galway. We thought we had him a couple of years ago but then he decided to stay on and he did the same the following season. Mike McCarthy’s come back too and he’s a quality player and we were probably a bit naïve when he left as we could’ve done more to keep him. We’re delighted to have him back and Gavin Duffy too – him getting into the World Cup squad says a lot about him. It gives us quite a bit of credibility too. Mel Deane’s come back too and so there’s now quite a buzz going around Galway.
And all the guys are far from over-the-hill too, that’s a bonus…
To be honest we think they’re all still in their prime and will really add something to the squad – we’ve seen that in pre-season already. The intensity of training has increased so much, there’s a lot more competitiveness in the squad now. The squad’s strong now and to have guys that can come off the bench and give us something extra is something that we haven’t had much of in the past.
It must be good to not lose all your best players for a change?
That’s something we’ve always struggled with. I think one year we lost seven or eight of our starting team and that was just when Michael Bradley came in and he’s done a great job rebuilding from that.
The fans must be excited?
Yeah, we’ve been quite lucky in having to play South Africa in a friendly so we got a full house in early and people who haven’t been to the Sportsground before got a great taste of what it’s about. It’s up to us now to provide a good matchday atmosphere. Friday night rugby has proved to be a good night out in Galway, especially as it’s followed by the dog racing – which is an interesting combination.
Connacht always give people a ‘good game’, how do you turn that into wins?
That’s the million-dollar question. We are a tough team to play but on a lot of occasions, in the tight games, we can compete for 70 minutes then fall away. If you look at every team in the Magners League and they’ve all got quality, they’ve all got internationals and it just seems that in the last ten minutes they can call on something that we haven’t had in the past. But a lot of it is about belief and if we can get a few wins under out belt early on who knows what could happen. And with the World Cup taking place there is a chance to get a few points on
the board.
Targets?
We would love to qualify for the Heineken Cup through the Magners League and if we do that then we know we’ve had a really good campaign – we’ll have either won it or finished above another Irish province. We have big expectations…
Is it realistic to think that you can break the domination of Ulster, Munster and Leinster in Irish rugby?
Definitely, I don’t think anyone would be at Connacht if we couldn’t see that happening. That’s our ambition, we want to get players of quality who are going on to represent Ireland – we would love to have ten guys going to the World Cup. With only four professional teams in Ireland, everyone that pulls on the Connacht jersey is being looked at at some stage whether it be for Ireland A, the under-20s or the first team. We do see ourselves competing with the big three and the ball’s in our court and we have to step it up.
Which other side should we be looking out for this year?
When you look at the other sides and the players they’ve brought in, you’d have to say Glasgow have recruited well. And, obviously, the Ospreys and the Irish sides are going to be strong. Wherever you look though, there’s quality.
And dark horses?
Us! People don’t know what to expect from us, they know they’re going to get a hard game but I think we can add something to the competition this year with some attacking rugby. In the past people have criticised us for being forward orientated and kicking to the corners, but we’ve developed a style of play that’s good to watch and will hopefully prove effective too.
Connacht are very popular aren’t they?
Yeah, there’s something about us. It could be the underdog tag or the fact we were under threat of extinction. Either way, there’s something about Connacht that people get hold of…
Supporters’ prediction: 7th. “Having Johnny back is huge for us and Mike McCarthy is quality too, add that to all the other sides being depleted by the World Cup and I reckon we’ll do okay this year.” Claire Fahy, Galway
Rucked prediction: 9th. We’d love to see Connacht break up the Irish order of things, but everyone else has snapped up huge names and, while they’ll snatch a few decent wins, Michael Bradley’s men will still be at the wrong end of the table.
