JUST WHEN THE URC was beginning to capture the imagination, disaster strikes. On the eve of the first home games for the larger South African franchises, a new Covid variant comes along. And so there were won’t be any matches in South Africa this weekend or next and beyond that, who knows when they’ll get a chance to play again?
“It is really unfortunate for them,” said Andy Friend, the Connacht coach. “All we can control is the games that we’ve got. We didn’t even talk about it as a collective in the team room but certainly behind the scenes we’re having some conversations today and the key message is to just take every game that presents itself for you and try and get a win.”
They got that last night, beating Ospreys 46-18 to move sixth in the table. But what shape will the table look like in three-months-time? Will the South African sides be able to play fixtures again soon?
“I’m sure it’s really frustrating for the teams over there,” said Dave Heffernan, the Connacht hooker. “But that’s just the way things are at the moment. We have to roll with it. It was the same last year. Games were getting cancelled all the time and you just have to get on with it. That’s just the way it is at the moment unfortunately.”
After the depressing news from south of the equator yesterday, rugby fans needed a pick-me-up last night. Connacht provided it. Despite the horrific conditions, despite the fact Ospreys had won four out of five coming into this one, they played with style and steel, recording their second win on the spin, their third of the season.
“It’s a great feeling, to be honest,” said Andy Friend, their coach. “I thought the manner in which we played … you wouldn’t have known for lots of the game that the conditions were doing what they were doing.
“A lot of the key principles that we keep talking about have been instilled in the fellahs, the tight lines, the bodies in motion, the running squad – we saw that and you can see a real air of confidence starting to grow in the team.
“We got to a point where we were a little bit confident and didn’t respect the ball like we needed to.
“They’re a good side, Ospreys, to be able to come away with a scoreline like that is pleasing.”
The theme of their pre-match chat was to be relentless and their opening try saw the plan move from the drawing board to the pitch.
“We played into the breeze and that probably suited us, we had to keep the ball in hand,” said Friend. “We have some very talented footballers who have working hard on our skills. It looked like it came together tonight.”
Few in their squad have more talent than Mack Hansen who now has five tries from six games and is already a crowd favourite.
“He’s got an amazing ability to beat first defender every time,” says Friend.
“He’s growing in confidence and is becoming more familiar with the game-style we’re playing and the surroundings.
“He just said to me in there, ‘I honestly thought they were going to call it off after 15 minutes’. He just hasn’t been in Galway long enough!
“He was good, he had a few mates who were good with him too.
“I just think he’s a young man full of confidence at the minute, he’s definitely got ability – you can see that – he’s just got a really slippery way, the way he moves.
“He seems to just glide past defenders, he’s got a good turn of pace.
“Defensively, he does really well too. They didn’t really get the ball out wide, but quite often that was because Mack Hansen and Caolin Blade were up in their passing channel.
“I just think he’s a really intelligent footballer, he’s enjoying his time here at the moment.
“He was with Ireland for four or five days, he just said he enjoyed it. He learnt a lot, it was good to be around that echelon of player.”
