Connacht vs Biarritz - 07/12/12 Galway SS Red But?

Heineken Cup rugby is back in Galway.
Connacht take on French powerhouse Biarritz in the Sportsground at 8pm on Friday, December 7th.
Is this game on tv? I dont know. I'm guessing it will be on the Red Button on Sky. I know for a fact that Sky Sports 2 are covering Northampton vs Ulster
Going to be there? I am.

I've heard stories that ticket sales are low, so we need to spread the word and get friends, family members, pets, dead relatives, enemies to buy tickets and go. This should be one of biggest games of the season, but I havent heard too much promotion work for it.

Onto the game. I'll add details during the week, as they are announced.
This is the start of a horrible run of four games against Biarritz home and away, then Munster at home, followed by Leinster away.
We dont want to go on another run like last season, so lets get down to the Sportsground, and cheer on the lads to victory.

Come on Connacht, Moooooo

ConnachtCows wrote: This should be one of biggest games of the season, but I havent heard too much promotion work for it.

I'm amazed at how low key this game is. Friday night, 8pm against BO - it's the sort of game that you'd imagine it would be easy to get any sports fans in Galway to go to. But it all seems very flat...

This is the start of a horrible run of four games against Biarritz home and away, then Munster at home, followed by Leinster away.

Horrible? I think it's great! Hopefully rattle a few cages in the RDS and south of France and a win against either Munster or BO at home.

sea_point wrote: Horrible in the sense that we have so many first choice options crocked at the moment, great opportunity for younger players but with the quality that they will face it is a very BIG ask...

Barring John Muldoon shouldn't we expect all other first teamers to be back for at least some of those games?

Parks was definitely out the Monday before the Leinster match. So I'd be hopeful at least the possibles (Etienne, Macca and White) would be back; Macca and White on the tight head side would be a big help in the scrum.

Anyway, large pinch of salt regarding this press conference, many of those injured (and some of those back) aren't on the HEC panel anyway.

Actual (HEC) squad update:

Available:
Bealham Finlay 09/10/91 21 1.85 m (6' 1") 0 0
Browne Andrew 21/01/87 25 1.96 m (6' 5") 11 (5) 0
Buckley Dennis 09/08/90 22 1.77 m (5' 10") 2 (2) 0
Cooney JP 12/05/90 22 1.84 m (6' 0") 0 0
Duffy Gavin 18/09/81 31 1.88 m (6' 2") 38 25
Faloon Willie 30/09/86 26 1.98 m (6' 6") 2 0
Flavin Adrian 06/06/79 33 1.82 m (6' 0") 19 (13) 35
Gannon Dave 11/12/83 28 1.97 m (6' 6") 9 ( 0
Grace Eoghan 06/10/87 25 1.88 m (6' 2") 0 0
Harris Wright Jason 19/09/88 24 1.78 m (5' 10") 0 (1) 0
Henshaw Robbie 12/06/93 19 1.86 m (6' 1") 2 0
Jarvis Matthew 25/08/90 22 1.93 m (6' 4") 0 0
Kearney Mick 29/03/91 21 1.95 m (6' 5") 0 (3) 0
Loughney Ronan 01/11/84 28 1.86 m (6' 1") 7 (18) 0
Loxton James 02/02/90 22 1.77 m (5' 10") 0 0
Marmion Kieran 11/02/92 20 1.77 m (5' 10") 2 0
McCrea Mark 17/09/87 25 1.85 m (6' 1") 2 0
McKeon Eoin 23/06/91 21 1.88 m (6' 2") 0 (4) 0
McSharry Dave 10/02/90 22 1.88 m (6' 2") 7 5
Moore Dave 03/05/88 24 1.79 m (5' 10") 0 (1) 0
Nikora Miah 28/04/85 27 1.77 m (5' 10") 7 ( 46
O'Connor Johnny 09/02/80 32 1.78 m (5' 10") 33 (6) 15
O'Donohoe Paul 27/08/87 25 1.79 m (5' 10") 4 (2) 0
O'Halloran Tiernan 26/02/91 21 1.87 m (6' 2") 9 15
Parks Dan 26/05/78 34 1.81 m (5' 11") 2 31
Poolman Danie 10/03/89 23 1.87 m (6' 2") 0 0
Vainikolo Fetu'u 30/01/85 27 1.79 m (5' 10") 4 (1) 0
Wilkinson Brett 29/11/83 29 1.83 m (6' 0") 34 (2) 5

Returning to Training this week:
McCarthy Mike 27/11/81 31 1.93 m (6' 4") 33 (7) 10
Reynecke Ethienne 20/03/82 30 1.75 m (5' 9") 3 (4) 0
White Nathan 04/09/81 31 1.88 m (6' 2") 2 0

Ruled out as of Dec 3:
Ah You Rodney 27/10/88 24 1.89 m (6' 2") 2 (6) 0
Duffy Gavin 18/09/81 31 1.88 m (6' 2") 38 25
Fifita Mata 18/08/88 24 1.88 m (6' 2") 0 (2) 0
Griffin Eoin 18/09/90 22 1.86 m (6' 1") 6 0
Muldoon John 30/11/82 30 1.92 m (6' 4") 45 (1) 40
Naoupu George 04/09/83 29 1.96 m (6' 5") 13 (1) 10
Swift Michael 18/10/77 35 1.96 m (6' 5") 52 (16) 30
Tonetti Kyle 12/05/87 25 1.78 m (5' 10") 3 (1) 0

Horrible is a word that springs to mind. Had hoped there would be some momentum going into this stretch of games, but there's none. Injuries to some key players in the pack. Other than Macca it looks like the same players that struggled against an average Dragons team and lost to Edinburgh at home will make up the squad. The lads need to step it up or there could be some heavy defeats in store and the season will spiral out of control.

Squad Update ahead of Biarritz clash
Tuesday, 04 December 2012 19:42

Squad Update ahead of Friday’s Heineken Cup clash with Biarritz

The Connacht Rugby squad trained early this week ahead of Saturday’s Heineken Cup round three clash with Biarritz.

It has been confirmed that Connacht skipper Gavin Duffy will be out of action for four to five weeks with his hamstring injury. The Mayo man limped off the pitch 23 minutes into last weekend’s one-point defeat to Edinburgh Rugby.

While forwards Mike McCarthy and Nathan White missed last week’s game due to injury, they will be closely monitored this week and a decision will be made over the next two days on their involvement against Biarritz.

TJ Anderson and Eoghan Grace both returned to training yesterday and will be available this weekend. It is also hoped that hooker Ethienne Reynecke will make a welcome return to training this week.

Unavailable through injury: Rodney Ah You, Finlay Bealham, Gavin Duffy, Mata Fifita, Eoghan Griffin, Shane Layden, Darragh Leader, John Muldoon, Frank Murphy, George Naoupu, Dave Nolan, Michael Swift, Kyle Tonetti

Head Coach Eric Elwood spoke at yesterday's press conference:

“Yes we’re very thin on the ground. This week is a big occasion for the club. We’re all excited about the Heineken Cup and everybody wants to play. After last year’s campaign, we want to step up and improve on what we did last year. Even with the unfortunate injuries, we really fancy ourselves against teams like Biarritz.

As I said last week, the young lads really stepped up to the plate against Edinburgh. And I have every faith that they will step up again this week if asked to do so.”

Connacht Rugby take on Biarritz in Round 3 of the Heineken Cup, kick-off 8pm. The Clan Terrace is completely sold out but there is still limited availability in some other areas throughout the ground.

Tickets available online here or from the Connacht Rugby branch.

www.connachtrugby.ie/2012120483116/squad...ad-of-biarritz-clash

sea_point wrote:

Creedence wrote:

sea_point wrote: Horrible in the sense that we have so many first choice options crocked at the moment, great opportunity for younger players but with the quality that they will face it is a very BIG ask...

Barring John Muldoon shouldn't we expect all other first teamers to be back for at least some of those games?

NO is the short answer...

<strong>Connacht Monday Press Conference</strong>
www.mixcloud.com/CountFurlo/connacht-pre...erence-pre-biarritz/

Ouch. Although, sounds to me like Swifty is the only other definite starter out until the new year. But looking pretty lean for Friday.

Today's Irish Times:

Connacht braced for massive Biarritz test

GERRY THORNLEY, Rugby Correspondent

Wed, Dec 05, 2012

So much for Second Season Syndrome. Any fears the Connacht public might be in any way blasé about a second successive season in the Heineken Cup can be dispelled. With temporary stands being erected at both ends of the Sportsground, and 7,000 tickets sold as of yesterday, a la last year’s debut against Toulouse, so their game against Amlin Challenge Cup holders Biarritz is heading toward an 8,500 sell-out.

Nor is there much chance of Eric Elwood’s team being any less fired up for their second season in Europe’s blue riband competition, the pity being they are in far from rude health for an encounter the coach agrees will be a huge step up from their Rabo Pro12 campaign.

Connacht’s injury jinx of last season has struck again. Thus, whereas Biarritz welcomed back Imanol Harinordoquy for last week’s win at home to Bordeaux/Begles, following on from the return of their other totem, Dimitri Yachvili, a couple of weeks before, Connacht had 17 players ruled out through injury for last week’s narrow loss at home to Edinburgh.

First-choice players

Of those, 14 are fully contracted members of their senior squad, and about half of them could probably be considered first-choice players, all things being equal. Their injuries are nearly all game related, a classic case of their ill-fortune being the bad knee injury John Muldoon, sustained playing for Ireland against Fiji.

“It is frustrating, it really is, just not having a bigger squad to choose from, particularly with a double against Biarritz and two derbies on the way,” said Elwood, at the outset of a month which also sees the visit of Munster and a trek to Leinster.

Superb effort though it was against Edinburgh to engineer a potential match-winning drive at 24-23 down and a Dan Parks drop goal effort which shaved the upright, Connacht were denied what would have been a timely fillip.

Opportunities

“We’re in the business of winning rugby matches and we were disappointed,” said Elwood. “We created enough opportunities to win the match possibly and even with Parksy’s kick at the end we created the opportunity, but it just didn’t happen for us. Again though I’d just acknowledge the contribution of the younger players who filled those big shoes, and they were terrific.”

“Jason (Harris-Wright) and Mick Kearney probably had their best games for Connacht, Browney (Andrew Browne) ran the line-out brilliantly for the last couple of weeks. He played lock last week and wing-forward the week before and (number eight) Eoin McKeon is getting better every week. It was good, but this is a different challenge,” he emphasises.

Connacht have effectively mushroomed into an amalgam of experienced warriors up front and a collection of mostly indigenous young backs – albeit with guiding lights like Dan Parks and Gavin Duffy – but they’ve been especially hard hit with regard to the former, as Nathan White (calf) is likely to be sidelined again along with their most capped player Michael Swift, George Naoupu and Muldoon.

This is particularly frustrating given Biarritz’s penchant for a bruising forward game with Yachvili pulling the strings to an often unrelentingly slow tempo behind them.

“We all know how the French teams play and these guys are no exception,” says Elwood. “They have a beast of a pack. Yachvili and Harinordoquy are back from injury – perfect timing for them if not for us – so there is still that buzz. Some of the boys will be playing their first Heineken Cup game, so it’s exciting for them.”

“We still believe in ourselves and we’re going to play a different style of game because we have to find a way of counter-acting their big pack, so there’s great excitement on our part. It is what it is. We’re not crying victim, we’re at home and we’re going to put our best foot forward.”

Encouragingly, Mike McCarthy returned to training yesterday after his international exertions last month. “

We’ll see how he is tomorrow, but it’s good to have him back obviously, although Whitey didn’t train today and it’s probably not looking good for him.” Hooker Ethienne Reynecke is also likely to return this week, perhaps to the bench.

Salvage their season

Biarritz, eight-time quarter-finalists and twice finalists, will assuredly be targeting Europe to again salvage their season, all the more so after the latest in a usually well-timed kick up the derriere from their legendary president Serge Blanco.

Seeking an explanation for the paucity of their performance in that narrow win over Bordeaux, Blanco added: “I think they need a good kicking and it will do them good.”

“They’ll come and try to inflict their tactics on us with their big pack,” predicted Elwood. “Yachvili will try to run the show at nine and then they’ll take their drop goals and their penalty goals. I think Yachvili was six from six last week, Traille plays ten and hits drop goals. They do have a very potent back three, in (Iain) Balshaw, (Aled) Brew and (Taku) Ngwenya and possess threats out wide as well but from the five or six games I’ve watched they’re very disciplined in how they play and they certainly rely on that big pack of forwards they have.”

In addition to last week’s pushover try for Harinordoquy, Elwood cited the mauling tries in this competition against both Harlequins and Zebre in noting “they like to maul”.

So another tough ask for Connacht then. “The lads have to take a lot of confidence from last week’s performance,” said Elwood, mindful that it will be largely the same side.

“Obviously we have to get the detail right so that when we get those opportunities we can take them. But there is absolutely no doubt that we are going to have to go up maybe 10 or 15 per cent in our physicality to counteract their strengths. That’s the challenge for us but it’s Heineken Cup rugby. It’s a huge step up from Rabo and we’ve got to be able to go that extra 10 or 15 per cent . . .”

© 2012 The Irish Times

Change to Connacht HEC squad: in Daniel Qualter; out Mark McCrea.

Balshaw- Ngwenya, Bosch, Gimenez, Brew - (o) Berquist, (m) Yachvili - Lauret, Lakafia, Guyot - Lund E., Taele - Gomez Kodela, August, Barcella. Les huit remplaçants seront à choisir parmi ces 10 joueurs qui font le voyage : Synaeghel, Genevois, Blaauw, Dubarry, M. Lund, Harinordoquy, Lesgourgues, Peyrelongue, Barraque, Burotu.

We have a very strong bench. We have not been playing well and the first 15 minutes will be crucial. The return of Marcello Bosch is very welcome, he is a high class player.

Really looking forward to this now, and while it may not help us, would love to see both Yachvili and Harinordoquy on the pitch (and hopefully not his father!).

The Advertiser (who usually have the inside scoop) say only Macca and Etienne to be added to the 23, suggesting the following side:

www.advertiser.ie/galway/article/57133/c...-to-step-it-up-again

Henshaw
O'Halloran
Poolman
McSharry
Vainikolo
Parks
Marmion

Wilkinson
Harris-Wright
Loughney
Kearney
McCarthy
Browne
Faloon
McKeon

Reynecke
Buckley
Cooney
Gannon/Qualter
O'Connor
O'Donohoe
Nikora
A.N.Other

The Biarritz supporters will be at O'Connell's from 19.00 onwards (flights permitting as we are currently fog bound in Biarritz!!).

Looking forward to the whole weekend!

windsorroberts wrote: The Biarritz supporters will be at O'Connell's from 19.00 onwards (flights permitting as we are currently fog bound in Biarritz!!).

Looking forward to the whole weekend!

Enjoy Galway. I wont be around until tomorrow evening, and I think I'm meeting my friend in the Christmas market for drinks.

If you get sick of O'Connells, step outside the door, and directly in front of you is the Christmas market. I think it is open until 10. You can get drinks in there too.
I'll definitely be starting with the Hot Whiskeys.

With regards to the game itself, I'm starting to believe we can win this.
The weather isnt great, and I've been watching highlights of our game against Leinster this season, as well as Munster vs Gloucester from 04. We just need to be hungrier than Biarritz