KIERAN MARMION IS still on his summer holidays, but when he returns to work on Monday he knows it will be a vastly different environment to the one he left at the end of May.
The turn of a season naturally engenders change but there is an added sense of it around Galway this summer as Connacht begin life post Pat Lam and prepare for a new era under his successor Kieran Keane.
Pre-season training for those not involved in end-of-season tours has already started at the Sportsground but the new coach has yet to arrive as he fulfils his duties with the Chiefs before heading north.
It means Keane’s time with his new players will be limited before the new Guinness Pro12, or Pro14, campaign gets underway and without even being in camp, Marmion is fully aware of the need to hit the ground running.
Last season Connacht, as defending Pro12 champions, lost their first three games and a sluggish start set the tone for a season which ultimately ended in disappointment as they failed to qualify for the Champions Cup.
We have yet to officially hear if the Pro12 will indeed become the Pro14 this term but even without knowing the structure or fixture list, Marmion is already targeting the first game of Connacht’s campaign as one they need to win.
“Every year we want to be playing in the top tier [Champions Cup] and that was hugely disappointing last year to miss out on that,” the scrum-half tells The42.
“It was one of our goals at the start of the season and we didn’t do that so we’ll go again and hopefully get off to a good start this year and hopefully when it comes to the end of the season we’re in a good place.
“A lot was going on last year and given how well we did the previous season it was pretty disappointing, we were losing games we expect ourselves to win. There were games at the end of the season when we couldn’t improve our position so obviously the last two games were pretty dead and I guess it was tough for lads to get motivated but at the same time it’s a professional environment and people should be up for every game. We need to put that behind us and put ourselves in a position to compete and challenge again.”
While the loss of Lam, who guided the province to that famous Pro12 title win in 2016, is a major blow for Connacht, Marmion admits change can be good and after an underwhelming season last year a shake-up and a new voice might just be what was needed.
He continued: “Change is can be good. I guess we just need to get the new structures in place and have those new thoughts and theories from the coach. There will be a bit of change and disruption but hopefully it will bring good results.
“It has definitely changed up a bit and when that happens it’s good to get that change of environment and I guess it’s going to be pretty competitive as everyone will be trying to impress the new coach.
“We’re all starting from zero again so hopefully there will be a good competitiveness in training and that will only help us and push us on for the start of the season. Hopefully that will bring the best out of us as team.”
Keane, who is assistant coach with the Waikato Chiefs, won’t take full charge until next month but visited the Sportsground in June to get preparations up and running in a bid to ensure the handover is smooth and the province don’t have another disjointed pre-season.
Connacht ended up playing just one pre-season game last summer — a workout against Montpellier in France on 11 August — and were clearly under-cooked three weeks on when they opened the defence of their Pro12 crown at the Sportsground and were hammered 41-5 by Glasgow.
A week later Ospreys came to Galway and inflicted a 32-11 drubbing, with the then reigning champions suffering a 17-8 loss away to eventual winners Scarlets.
Connacht finally won a match when they defeated Edinburgh 28-15 at the end of September but never really recovered, finishing eighth in the Pro12 and missing out on Champions Cup rugby for the new season.
Marmion knows that can’t happen again this time around.
“We just have to make sure we’re competitive,” the Ireland international says.
“I think last year when we played some of the top teams we weren’t competitive at all so that’s the main thing. Make sure we start well and get a good run of games. Every team wants to get off to a good start but it’ll put us in a good position and a lot to work on.
“It’s going to be a huge ask this pre-season and the first game is going to be a huge opportunity.”
Connacht are scheduled to play two friendlies — against Wasps away on 23 August and Lam’s Bristol in Galway on 26 August — and will aim to hit the ground running under Keane.
Marmion is excited about the prospect of returning to work after a couple of weeks off and is already chomping at the bit to get back in and work with the new coaches, including ex-Edinburgh and Queensland Reds defence coach Peter Wilkin, over the next month.
“What I’ve heard from the lads is that it has been a lot of strength and conditioning work and I guess without Kieran around it will be like that for a while,” he continued.
“I guess then there will be a lot of work on skills and making sure everyone’s up to speed so when Kieran does come in we can get straight into rugby and make sure everything fits as smoothly as possible and we’ve to make sure that transition is as good as possible.
“I guess when he comes in there will be a lot more focus on rugby and structures and what he wants although I haven’t heard too much about him before he signed but obviously he’s pretty experienced.
“He’ll have a lot of knowledge to pass on and that’s pretty exciting. Hopefully we can all take on board what he’s giving us and put it to use on the pitch as quickly as possible.
“We want to push on and be back challenging for silverware again.”
Kieran Marmion launched Specsavers first ever Kids Spectacle Wearer of the Year Awards, a competition that looks to celebrate children in Ireland who wear glasses with pride. The competition will help raise vital funds for Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital Crumlin, with Specsavers donating €1 to the charityfor every entry received. Visit specsavers.ie/kids-swoty
The42 is on Instagram! Tap the button below on your phone to follow us!
