Connacht’s best is not enough

Our Reporter

Rugby

Connacht 18
Ulster 34

Rob Murphy at the Sportsground

WHERE to start? Well, the best team won, no question about that. They brought punch, power and precision to Galway and withstood some early body blows to emerge clear winners after half time without ever hitting top form.

Ireland’s form players are in this Ulster team and the stood out here. Stuart Olding at 12 is trending in the rugby conversations around the country and you could see why; Ian Henderson had a stunning impact from the bench; Chris Henry remains an outstanding talent in back row play.

All of them played their part and the reliable stars delivered in the shape of Tommy Bowe, Andrew Trimble, the imperious Ruan Pienaar and more like them. Ulster are top of the pile in this league, they always show up in Galway with the right attitude making them a tough hurdle to clear.

Yet, even excepting the outcome, and understanding the gulf in class – that was clear for all to see during a totally dominant second half from the visitors – the Connacht errors, the naivety and the limitations should still rankle to some degree in a game like this.

Each season, games come along that provide Connacht with an opportunity for real honest to God progress. We’re not talking beating Harlequins in the Heineken Cup, that was a win for the ages, or hammering Leinster earlier this year, that was sweet but as we all know, beating our Eastern cousins at College Road is a right of passage for Connacht teams.

No, instead we’re talking about wins that are less of a boost for the marketing department, the history writers, the supporters and more of a subtle boost. Wins that mean you start the following season on square two rather than returning to square one.

Beating Ulster at home is an example of the kind of mould-breaking win we’re talking, winning away to a vulnerable Biarittz is another example. No one is saying we should be demanding such results, not one Munster follower would have demanded that win in Harelquins based on the season in hand, but huge odds were overcome.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Sentinel.