The forecast for Galway on Sunday afternoon is dry and sunny but on Wednesday afternoon, as the Connacht squad returned to the dressing-room following a morning session at the Sportsground, it was difficult to imagine the sun ever shining again.
Slate skies, biting cold and intermittently vicious showers of rain – even the greyhounds, going through their daily salutations with their trainers, looked ready for parkas and snoods.
Connacht rugby has moved light years from the era when it took pride in being the Bleak House of Irish rugby, but its reputation as the last frontier persists. The assumption that a raw day in the Sportsground would not suit the playboys from Montpellier persists. So it was heartening to see Andy Friend shrug when asked about the ideal weather scenario when the French trot out at lunchtime on Sunday.
“Give us whatever,” he said cheerfully. “Listen, ideally you’d probably like this. The French won’t like this. But if it’s a sunny day, that’s all right too because we tend to move the ball around.”
Sunday's game feels as though it could be a pivotal moment in Connacht's season. Their fearless and adventurous march to four wins on the trot in the Guinness Pro 14 was brought to an abrupt halt when Leinster came to town on Friday night last.
For the packed and expectant local crowd, ever sensitive to the haves-and-have-nots scenario within Irish rugby, those 80 minutes must have felt a bit like a lecture from Leo Cullen’s side. It wasn’t just the 42-11 final score; it was the speed with which Leinster dictated terms and territory that took Connacht aback.
Group text
On the Saturday morning after that defeat, Friend fired off a group text to his players. It essentially read: "The sun has come up. We are still here." In other words, the game was a setback: significant but not irreversible. The coaching staff cancelled any Saturday plans and instead mugged up on the video evidence. What had happened? This was a game which they had targeted and they had built such promising momentum through the four wins. This was Leinster without Jonny Sexton and former Connacht protege Robbie Henshaw, a late withdrawal from the team, but nonetheless the home team were suffocated.
“We are all stinging because it wasn’t the performance we were after,” Friend admits now. “It is hard to get positives after a game like that, but when you pull it all apart – and I can tell you we spent a lot of time over the weekend as a group of coaches and I know the players did too – the big thing that came out was that our systems weren’t broken.
“So we probably showed a bit too much respect for Leinster, to be honest with you. They score after eight minutes and then they score again and we go: what are they doing? What is so special? Instead of going: lets get into them. That was the disappointing thing. We need to be far more aggressive. Yeah, show respect for the team. We will never be a dirty team or show disrespect for the laws of the game. But don’t respect them where you let them do things. Just have a go at them. And we probably didn’t do that as best as we can.”
The thing that hurt Bundee last weekend: big roar from the crowd and he gets back in and then we have to drag him off again
There's a sliding doors feel about Connacht as the season deepens. Recent headlines have revolved around the possible departure of Kieran Marmion, the scrumhalf who responded to the disappointment of being left out of Joe Schmidt's World Cup squad with a series of electrifying performances in green. Consequently, he is reportedly high up on numerous wish lists in England. There is also speculation that Bundee Aki, now 29, may choose to play elsewhere when his contract expires. It's their future: all that Connacht can do is to try and make the choice of staying put as attractive as possible.
Glittering group
Bringing Champions Cup rugby to the Sportsground for the fifth-ever season is vital. Connacht have been drawn in a glittering group that also contains Toulouse and Gloucester – precisely the kind of heavyweight clubs which the Galway team have been exceptional in taking down. But it's the old story: punching above their weight when it comes to squad depth and experience. When Aki came in against Leinster on Friday, he was left in no doubt as to his popularity in Galway.
“He has been brilliant,” Friend says of Aki’s attitude since returning from the World Cup. “The thing that hurt Bundee last weekend: big roar from the crowd and he gets back in and then we have to drag him off again because Pete McCabe has gone off with a blood. I don’t think Bundee has ever been in that situation. He said to me, ‘It was so hard coming off. Brilliant to get out there but coming off, I was like what is going on here.’ And then he had to get himself up again. That is new territory for Bundee. But he has been brilliant. And Jack [Carty] has been brilliant too and having those two men taking part is an important spine of our group.”
Both Marmion and Aki have been crucial figures in what Connacht built during Pat Lam's era, and are enjoying Friend's belief in an expansive style. Other senior players are figuring their way through the season. Ultan Dillane is another who had to cope with the disappointment of not making the cut for Japan while Carty recovered from that volatile experience by switching into the unpredictable kicking game which Friend licensed from his arrival.
“His kicking game is really important, but what is more important is the voices outside of him telling him where the space is. I thought Darragh Leader stepped up last week with his kicking game, too, and we will no doubt pick a left-footed kicker so we have got an option on that side too.”
Huge energy
Meanwhile, lock Gavin Thornbury has revelled in the opportunity given to him this season. Cillian Gallagher, the Sligo flanker, has also brought huge energy to the field in his minutes. The base attraction of joining Connacht for young players remains true: you will get your chance, irrespective of the experience or prestige of the opposition.
“It is not just for players like me . . . it’s for players coming through the ranks,” confirms Dillane, who goes straight into Sunday's team having just returned from injury. Watching his team-mates thrive in his absence was a new sensation.
“It has been a bit of learning curve,” said Dillane. “The boys have had a great pre-season. Quin [Roux] was coming through from a long-term injury and Gavin the same. It is a slight setback for them, but a great challenge to me to try and find my game and play at the standard I can play at. And I compliment the boys on playing so well . . . it has been quite tough for me. But I’m quite confident in playing my best so it’s been good.”
That is our DNA. We have got energy and we back ourselves. You've got to express yourself out there
But the return of Dillane has been one of the few reprieves for the Connacht physio team, who have been literally run off their feet. His availability eases Connacht's depleted secondrow options, with Seán O'Brien, Thornbury and Roux all unlikely to see action until the Christmas shopping has been done. Marmion will join them on the sidelines, with Caolin Blade starting at scrumhalf and Sligo native Stephen Kerins named as a replacement. With Gallagher making his Champions Cup debut, the team composition has a true provincial slant and is set up for one of those defiant Galway occasions.
“That is our DNA,” acknowledges Friend. “We have got energy and we back ourselves. You have heard me say that you’ve got to express yourself out there. We know if we run straight into them we will probably lose that battle. If we can target space and reset earlier and find space and have options, I think we will have enough there to do the job.”
