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Connacht Cardiff Build-Up thread
- connachta
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Gloucester beat Northampton away.
Sale is likely to finish in the Top6 and ChampionsCup IMO
We become the most heartful La Rochelle supporters. Except if we win in the Sportsground ; we wouldn't care
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- pinky
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La Rochelle's table position doesn't look too secure but the bookies seem to fancy them. They are a much shorter price than Paris/Toulon/Bordeaux in both final winner and regular season winner markets. Some of the others have some tough games left but their run-in isn't exactly a cake-walk either. It could come down to the Atlantic Derby against Bordeaux on the last day. Hopefully we won't care by then!
I have just realised a gaping hole in my earlier theory about the play-off. They can't use the same system they proposed last year with the better fourth placed team going through automatically and the fifth placed team getting the play-off spot. The playoff is scheduled for the same weekend as the Pro14 semis but the Top14 regular season doesn't finish until the weekend after, so at the time of the playoff, we won't know whether La Rochelle are top 6 or not. So you'd imagine the only solution would be to play the playoff as normal and if all works out well, the play-off loser qualifies as well.
The upshot of that is that there could be no back-door in for fifth place.
All in all, it's probably best if we just win, if nothing else it will make me shut up and stop confusing everyone ...
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- connachta
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TBF we won't be 5th. Maybe away play-off at worse but not 5th, I can't see Ospreys winning in Cardiff
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- pinky
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Connacht installed as five point favourites with the bookies. Another two or three points would have done my nerves some good.
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- connachta
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Still all right. TBH including the home advantage it's 50/50
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- pinky
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We should have a decent idea of the potential opponent by Friday night. If Treviso and Edinburgh both win at home, the Italians should end up second as they'll surely account for Zebre on the last day. If Ulster win, you'd imagine it'll be them as they're at home to disinterested Leinster. Munster and Edinburgh wins would leave it a bit more up in the air.
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- Shelflife
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Mike Adamson reffing on Sat
Courage is knowing what lies on the other side and still opening the door.
Connacht Clan– Sales and Sponsorship
Email: peterg@connachtclan.com
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- neill_m
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Shelflife wrote: Mike Adamson reffing on Sat
Good Luck!
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- connachta
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Tom Farrell on the training pics. The eyes doesn't look good though.
Robb/Daly/Joyce all appear to pair with Bundee, in case.
No Godwin, No Carey...
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- cabaiste
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Shelflife wrote: Mike Adamson reffing on Sat
Sweet Jesus, not again.
Surely every team deserves a proper cooling-off period after their last Mike Adamson-ing.
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- connachta
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www.irishtimes.com/sport/rug...medium=twitter
No Quinn Roux. Less penalties conceeded.. But Thornbury has to prove how good he is
Farrell in. Massive boost.
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- salmson
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connachta wrote: www.irishtimes.com/sport/rug...medium=twitter
No Quinn Roux. Less penalties conceeded.. But Thornbury has to prove how good he is
Farrell in. Massive boost.
Roux out is a disaster. Guaranteed scrum, lineout, and ruck wins in one player.
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- connachta
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I didn't wanna say it's good news. I mean Thonrbury/Dillane were good vs Zebre, very disciplined, and they have to prove they could retain their starting spots next year during RWC at least, maybe longer. Maksymew has has decent 14 minutes, too, I watched in carefully in replay.
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- Accidentally Onside
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I'm with Salmson- Roux out is bad news. The guys coming in are good players but Quinn offers a physicality the other can't and is an increasing line out threat.
There's not many players in our squad that have a chance of stopping Nick Williams from 5m out and to lose one of them of is no bueno.
Lads need to step up- big shoes to fill!
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- connachta
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We've to stop overestimate Cardiff and especially N.Willams. He's 36 and 1/2 y.o. He obviously lost those 5% extra power, he's stopable, and won't last more than 30 minutes.
We have to focus on ourselves. Mainly concentrate on the key periods and not fall asleep a single minute. This include restarts, lineout, and initilal minutes after 2nd half kick-off which could have cost us the games vs Cheetahs, Zebre and Treviso
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- salmson
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I think you're judging him based on old beery Nick rather than the new aging like a fine wine version. He's played 80 minutes in 8 of his 15 league starts this season, including 5 of his 6 starts since the turn of the year.
Fair point on concentrating on ourselves though. Munster showed that Cardiff can be bullied up front, if we do that we win the game.
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