Experience didn’t pay off
Pat Lam re-introduced Dan Parks, Gavin Duffy and Michael Swift alongside the statement that “big games require your big players to step up and lead the way.” It is, of course, unfairly easy for us to criticise his selection decisions after the game, but unfortunately these calls went against the Connacht head coach.
His hope would have been for his “most experienced players” to inspire their teammates, to bring out the same Connacht attitude that helped them to beat Toulouse. While the blame for defeat is far from solely on the trio above, one is left wondering whether backing the likes of Jack Carty, Mick Kearney and Darragh Leader might have resulted in a better display.
Loose kicking costs Connacht again
This aspect of Connacht’s performances has been notable for quite some time now. Their kicking game has been far too loose in recent months and, crucially, has not been redeemed by strong chasing. Against Toulouse, Dan Parks failed to find touch or space repeatedly, but Connacht’s hungry kick chase negated those poor touches.
However, against Sarries, poor kicking was followed up by a lethargic chase and Mark McCall’s team were only too willing to punish them in ruthless fashion. Connacht just couldn’t reorganise themselves defensively, and the likes of Alex Goode and David Strettle excelled on counter-attack to rip them apart.
Lam’s men needs Pro12 results
With their European campaign now finished, all of Connacht’s attention turns towards their poor league form. Lam’s side are bottom of the Pro12 after 12 rounds, having won just twice. With 10 games left, there is a great need for the province to make a move up the ladder and doing so is certainly within their capabilities.
With ten games left, and eminently winnable home clashes against Edinburgh, Treviso, Cardiff amongst them, Lam needs to kick-start a run of improved results. Just over a quarter of the way into a two-year contract as head coach, it is far too early to be questioning the 45-year-old’s ability, but without European distractions he must help Connacht rise.
Porous defence
Defensive stats can often be misleading, but the fact that Connacht missed a total of 23 tackles will come as no surprise to those of us who watched the game. Saracens possess some wonderfully powerful ball carriers, but Connacht’s weak defence allowed them onto the front consistently.
Missed tackles can be overcome, but that didn’t happen either as the western province’s scramble defence failed to kick into life. Indeed, there appeared to be particularly poor communication between the back three as they attempted to cover those repeated counter-attacks. That lack of chat extended to the rest of the team too, resulting in a disorganised defensive effort.
Nathan White should have seen red
Given the red card Ian Evans received against Leinster on Friday night, it’s difficult to understand how White escaped sanction for his use of the boot on Brad Barritt. It may not have been deliberate but it was certainly reckless. The feeling is that if the England centre had suffered a more noticeable injury, the card would have been red.
White was lucky to escape with 10 minutes in the bin, while Connacht were fortunate that they did not have to face that Saracens’ onslaught in the second half with only 14 defenders on the pitch.
What did you think the key points from Connacht’s defeat to Saracens were? Let us know in the comments section.
