ON A BITTERLY disappointing night for Connacht, Pete Wilkins highlighted his team’s slow start and lack of accuracy as key factors in their 17-7 defeat to Ulster on Saturday.
A young Ulster side ended their five-game losing streak by going to Galway and recording their first away win of the season, sucking any festive joy out of an utterly deflated home crowd.
Connacht went into the game with a strong side on paper but were limited to just seven points, which came from Mack Hansen’s converted try in the 35th minute.
The home team fell 10-0 behind after a sluggish start and while they spent much of the contest playing in the right areas of the pitch, a lack of accuracy in the Ulster half proved costly.
“Certainly performance wise we were well behind Ulster, and the scoreline reflects that,” said the Connacht head coach.
“I thought they dominated the physical exchanges, particularly when they got into our attack in 22, they’ve shown great relentless pressure there during the season in terms of the work they’ve done in the attacking 22.
“It’s something we trained for and we’re really aware of, but to be honest, we physically didn’t win enough collisions in there to make them go deep enough into the phases.
I think the scores came too easily for them. That gave them belief, that gave them momentum.
“For us, we played with a lot of width early on and didn’t really make any headway.
“I think when we started playing a little more direct, a little simpler, we started to create some opportunities, but then we didn’t have either the accuracy or the composure to finish them off, so we were well beaten and it’s a massive blow for our season.”
While the result bumped Ulster up to eighth in the URC table, Connacht are now languishing in 13th having lost six of their nine league fixtures. Ospreys are just three points off the province with a game in hand, away to Cardiff on New Year’s Day.
“It certainly puts the pressure on, in terms of the implications for where we finish in the season,” Wilkins said.
“There’s still half of the games to come and a lot of rugby to be played. We’ve dug ourselves out of holes before.
“The way the URC shaped up last year and seems to be this year, you know, if we got a good win tonight, we could have been sixth. With the result we did get and if Ospreys get a win, we could be in the bottom three, so it swings really quickly and either way where we’re at is not good enough, it’s disappointing.
“It’s especially disappointing because I thought the performance we put in against Leinster (last week), the players themselves spoke in the changing room after that about how they’d raised the bar and how frustrated they were to have taken nothing out of it competition points-wise, but the standards we set in terms of the aspects of that play was something we needed to pick up where we left off and take out that frustration on Ulster, and we didn’t see that either in terms of the intensity in that first quarter, nor the standards that we set in that Leinster game and the quality of rugby.
“We created some really good moments, particularly in that second half, but we’re either forcing a pass too many or just not aligned in terms of what we’re trying to achieve in that top third of the field and as a result of that, we coughed the ball up and we weren’t able to turn it into points.”
A bit of a BS excuse Pete. Rightly or wrongly, last week you were happy for the team to highlight consistent ref errors. Which i kind of agreed with, the overall point. But in the losses to Ulster and Bulls the excuse has essentially been to blame the player’s execution. No mea culpa.
And i think that’s not good enough. If anything Connacht do have the players, and largely speaking those players aren’t playing bad or dropping the ball. Carty, Hansen, Bealham in particular had actual decent showings last night.
But what’s BS is the fact that, similar to Ire QF loss to NZ, the plan was to overload the backline attack, this leading to an exposed ruck which Ulster called its bluff on the tactic, and Connacht never changed or went to plan B and all night had slow ball, turnovers, penalties, etc from the ruck. This is why Connacht lost, and this is directly dictated by the coaching staff so to call out player accuracy needs to me like passing the parcel of blame from you to your players.
Its like being late for a morning meeting and blaming getting caught by lights and traffic, but ignoring the fact you slept in.
@David Hickey: Nail on the head
On reflection, I am thinking Wilkins perhaps did distribute a plan B that wasn’t followed, and perhaps that is what wasn’t executed. But anyway, the point still probably stands.
Ulster were the more motivated side so that begs the question why were Connacht not up for the game to the same extent. Playing at home with a big crowd should be a huge motivating factor. Ulster may have a few young lads but there is a serious hard edge to their back five forwards. Treadwell, Izzy, Timoney, Rea and McNabney brought the physicality, especially McNabney. From an Irish rugby scenario it’s heartening to see the quantum leap this lad has made.He could well be in the thoughts of Easterby.
@Tom Reilly: lots of lads putting up their hands for the summer tour.
@Tom Reilly: it’s a toss up as to who’d is the best between M cNabney or McCann the real bonus for ulster ids that Timoney McCann and Mc Nabney seem to equally at home anywhere in the backrow.
@davidhickey – I whole heartedly agree with your comments. The tactics were poor and surely any idiot could see were not working for Connaght. Even Scott Fardy, interviewed in the first 20 minutes of the game on the touch line mentioned this but nothing changed in the second have. Pete Wilkins is solely to blame here and is continuing to show he is totally out of his depth. You have so many experienced Irish Coaches overseas in England and France currently who will jump at the change to coach again at home. Another mediocre season already on the cards for Connaght.
@Mark Cunney: as it happens, there’s a guy called Felix Jones who needs a job and I’d say the IRFU will be keen to accommodate him and not lose him to another union . It’ll either be Munster or Connacht IMO. I reckon Prendergast will be given a shot of claiming the Munster job (minimum requirement semi final URC). That leaves the west. There’s a good squad there and if he’s as good as people think, he’ll improve things significantly.
@Michael Corkery: There is considerably more chance of you winning the Euro Millions. Than there is of Felix taking the Connacht job.
@Stephen Nolan: thanks. I went out and bought a lottery ticket based on that
@Stephen Nolan: just did a 3 line quick pick, wish me luck…
@Stephen Nolan: Why? Turning around the fortunes or improving a provincial team has lead to national team exposure for 4 of the 5 pro era national team coaches. Gatland (Connacht), EOS (Connacht), Kidney (Munster), Schmidt (Leinster).
@Michael Corkery: If anyone is getting the Connacht gig next, it’s Nigel Carolan current Assistan at reigning URC Champions, Glasgow. Connacht reared, a former player, Pat Lam’s backs coach for Connacht’s Pro12 win, Ireland U20 Grand Slam coach. Don’t think Connacht fans will accept an IRFU appointment frankly…
Connacht’s centre is not working. They shipped 2 easy tries v Leinster and we’re, at best, disjointed v Ulster. Aki & Farrell worked well together but Forde not the same. 50% blame to Aki also. I also thought the 2 locks were poor and anonymous. 2 props playing their own fame and not team orientated. (My 2 cents)
@Noel Lynn: yeah forde is a 10/12 not a 13.
Anyone else not like the cut of Wilkins jib and don’t really know why. I don’t like that he doesn’t care about Europe but then is crap in URC anyway. He looks like a health and safety officer too.
And as Ferris said there is another back row forward with a beefy credential Clem Ward possibly a better ball carrier than those mentioned which would put Ulster in similar position to Leinster in regards to rotating the back row
The back row is where matches are won and lost
@SAMUEL T McGLADERY: add Augustuswho is a massive ball carrier and add McCloskey, Izzy, Sheridan, Wilson and there shouldn’t be a lack of go forward ball.
@SAMUEL T McGLADERY: It’s Bryn Ward – brother of Zac who are both sons of Andy.
@Keno: it’s Clem Fandango actually
@Kingshu: who?
@Mark Symmons: