With the PRO12 about to kick off again, we take a closer look at the Irish side’s chances and expectations in this year’s competition.
The Guinness PRO12 gets underway on Friday with Munster the first of the Irish provinces to take the field. How will this season go for the Irish provinces? Will Leinster retain their crown? Will Connacht be able to qualify for the Champions Cup under their own steam? Will Axel Foley and his management team instil the old Munster values? And can Ulster bounce back from the loss of the John Afoa and Johann Muller? Read our PRO12 previews to find out…
First up we take a closer look at Connacht.
Players in/Players out
Connacht have bolstered their squad this season with the acquisition of a number of high profile overseas players. World Cup winning All Black Mils Muliaina is a major coup for the club and will add a depth of experience to the Connacht squad. While undoubtedly past his best, Muliaina’s presence among young players such as Robbie Henshaw and Darragh Leader can only be a good thing for their development.
Mils Muliaina could be a brilliant signing for the province.
At centre, Connacht have lost home grown talent Eoin Griffin to Premiership side London Irish, but what a replacement they have signed in Kiwi Bundee Aki from Super Rugby side the Chiefs. Connacht are rumoured to have outgunned both Munster and Leinster to secure the services of the explosive Aki and this is a sign of the provinces intentions moving forward.
In addition they have secured the services of Auckland Blues utility front row Tom McCartney as a replacement for the retiring Brett Wilkinson. The prop/hooker has valuable Super Rugby experience and will surely add some extra zealous to an already sturdy front row.
Add to these three signings the deals to bring Quinn Roux, John Cooney, Ian Porter, Shane O’Leary and Niyi Adeolokun to the province as well as number of promising academy graduates, Connacht have a much more rounded squad than last year even with the losses of Dan Parks, Craig Clarke and the aforementioned Wilkinson.
Last season
Connacht fans and management alike will have been disappointed with how last year’s PRO12 season panned out. A crippling lack of consistency damaged player confidence and made it difficult to build any winning momentum. A 10th place finish with just six wins out of 22 will not have sat well with many of the Connacht fans, especially with Welsh side Newport Gwent Dragons finishing ahead of the western province in the table.
While European form was better and even had some bright moments with that fantastic win away to Toulouse, it was balanced out by humiliation against Saracens at Allianz Park. More consistency is needed and expected next season.
Cliché you are most likely to hear this season
Robbie Henshaw is the player many people expect to be heir to BOD’s number 13 shirt for Ireland.
Much is expected of Robbie Henshaw out West this season.
Cliché you are least likely to hear this season
It’s near perfect conditions for rugby here in the Sportsgrounds with the wind and rain staying away for this clash.
Room for improvement
As discussed above, consistency is the aim for Connacht this season. If they can create a tonic of last season’s performance against Toulouse and drink it before every game than the westerners will have plenty to cheer about for the coming season.
Connacht don’t seem to have the steel necessary to close out the tight games and more often than not come out on the wrong side of tight results. If they can grasp that winning mentality (Muliaina is sure to help with that) than they have a real chance to grab a lot more than the six wins they achieved last year.
Best case scenario
Sixth and qualification for the Rugby Champions Cup* would be a massive achievement for this Connacht squad, but that would require a huge effort by the players from the start and also to maintain a strong home form and a decent away record for the entire season. They have a stronger squad this season but they may still struggle if key players get injured.
*Even then they may not qualify due to regulations regarding each nation having representation in the competition.
Worst case scenario
Obviously the worst case would be to finish bottom of the League but I do not think that will happen. Another performance like last year to leave Connacht 10th or 11th in the table would be disastrous and although this may seem presumptuous; not acceptable. This squad deserves better.
If they were a fictional character
Kenny from South Park: They get beaten up often and they are the weakest of the four provinces, much like Kenny among his three friends. But they keep coming back for more and rising from the dead despite their sufferings.
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