EvoGeo wrote: Bye bye Pat and Bundee unfortunately.

Surely with 4000 plus attendance they can sign a 500k player. Looks like connacht competing was not part of the script.

#dissilusioned supporter

Behave yourself. So we had a good season. Now these lads have to prove their true worth and back it up. Aki as a centre looks plain. Maybe he's made his decision. So let him go. If bundee has given up, if you have given up pat lam and Connacht has not given up. Niyi signed up, Finlay signed up. If you wanna cry, cry elsewhere. We have a few fundamental problems to sort in our team. Grow up

Bye bye Pat and Bundee unfortunately.

Surely with 4000 plus attendance they can sign a 500k player. Looks like connacht competing was not part of the script.

#dissilusioned supporter

just read the comments from Pat about lack of money to sign players and throwing money at a player not being the solution. surely 250k would have signed a useful 2nd row from the Southern Hemisphere.

"Munster have reacted to injury issues by bringing in Springbok international Jaco Taute, but Lam says Connacht are not in a position to do something similar.

There’s always opportunities but you need money,” said Lam. “Some of the money that some of them are asking for… it’s not a problem for people coming in but we’re number twelfth [in the Pro12] when it comes to resources.

“It’s no different to what I was talking about before around the pre-season. We have what we have and we’ll work hard to get those guys up to speed and more importantly for us as a team. Our whole cohesion is something we’ll work on.

“You can’t just throw €400k or €500k on people. You can’t do that. Some teams can. Some teams can’t. You weigh that all up. We’re not that sort of team. We never have been.”

Sol_ie wrote: Niyi extends to 2019! Great news!

www.connachtrugby.ie/niyi-adeolokun-exte...o-2019/#ConnachtNews

Great to see Niyi committing long term. Important to tie these players down because if he progresses at the same rate this year as he did last I could only see our more esteemed neighbours sniffing around given their distinct lack of pace in their back 3. Hopefully its a sign of things to come.

Niyi extends to 2019! Great news!

www.connachtrugby.ie/niyi-adeolokun-exte...o-2019/#ConnachtNews

Lam: "That's putting pressure on at training, but we are confident we can field a team there this weekend.". That's baaaaad

So true furbo, it was my biggest fear after the recruitment this summer.

I really thought the IRFU would give us a top class NIQ lock to help bring the younger lads on especially after having the heart ripped out of the squad with mul Robbie and AJ leaving.

Still hopeful pat will fix things so we can get top 6 but not overconfident by any means.

Darragh wrote: Possibly not for here, but I am wondering if Dillane has that Muldowney play making role ability. He always seems to pop up out wide, which is fine, but I don't think his influence in games is high enough or simply, he could be better deployed to have a bigger influence on games?

Thoughts?

If Lam is going to replicate the Muldowney role.Browne is the outstanding candidate to slot into the role not Ultan, but he needs to get and stay fit.
He's easily got the mobility, experience and the skills to do it.

SOB2's future shouldn't be at lock, definitely blindside.for the immediate future for me..

All I could think of, during the game on Saturday, was how much we missed Muldowney. We hugely missed his physical presence, calm head, and strength in both defense and in keeping possession at the ruck.

I was really hoping he would be directly replaced with a new signing - I know its difficult but his was the one loss I worried about.

Not convinced that Sean O'Brien can do better at lock, than he does in the back row - he is immense in that position. And I don't see any of the other 5/6's we have being able to step into Muldowneys shoes - not even in the medium term. This is certainly one hole in last years team we will struggle to fill.

Darragh wrote: Possibly not for here, but I am wondering if Dillane has that Muldowney play making role ability. He always seems to pop up out wide, which is fine, but I don't think his influence in games is high enough or simply, he could be better deployed to have a bigger influence on games?

Thoughts?

It wouldn't be my thought. Ultan is a huge impact player, critically important to the team. He can't be both playmaker and physical impact player. They are mutually exclusive.I would hope sob would step into this gap as he shows huge talent in ball reuse.

Possibly not for here, but I am wondering if Dillane has that Muldowney play making role ability. He always seems to pop up out wide, which is fine, but I don't think his influence in games is high enough or simply, he could be better deployed to have a bigger influence on games?

Thoughts?

Cheers Salmson I think we need him from a play making/controlling point of view. We looked rudderless without muldowney and AJ influence in the middle.

I know we were rusty and the handling errors and decision making in general didn't help but I think unless someone else steps up to control games for us we could have a long year.

EvoGeo wrote: The sooner we get Boschoff in the better. Hopefully they miss out on semi finals of currie cup and he could be here early October.

Golden Lions currently 5th so one place outside the playoffs, at home to 6th place Western Province this weekend. If they lose they could find themselves 6 or 7 points off 4th with 3 games to go and you might get your wish.

Boschoff's kicking stats are 14/19 for the Currie Cup, so a not-much-better than what we've got 74%. In the qualifiers (old Vodafone Cup) he got a similar 27/37 (73%) and scored 9/12 (75%) in his one Super Rugby game this year. His stats are nothing like previous years (he has twice posted seasonal averages above 90%) but in fairness a disproportionate number of this year's kicks have been conversions, and he takes on kicks up to 55 metres so you have to factor in the added difficulty.

Confirmed, Romaine trained today. Give him a go? Why not as back-row sub, as he can play 6, with Qualter able to play 8 and McKeon to cover 7?

EvoGeo wrote: I'd have O'Leary instead of Carty.

Hard to believe how poor Carty is in defence and also how poor he is in controlling the game. His missed kick for touch in the second half and the the kick straight to hogg in the first half were just so so poor it's past acceptable.

The sooner we get Boschoff in the better. Hopefully they miss out on semi finals of currie cup and he could be here early October.

Its concerning to see two concussions injuries early in the season but its part and parcel of today's game. I would agree with Evo on Shane O'Leary he is better from ball in hand and tee than Jack and there is a flip of a coin in my opinion between them after that so SO'L shades it for me. I think if fit Pat will stick with Kelleher because the lad has serious potential and although getting caught fat the weekend to his mistakes stemmed from training for to long with Rob Kearney and not long enough with TOH :blink: But the mistakes he made are easily rectifiable. So you will probably see TOH at 23. It will be interesting to see in Domnic RM. will make the squad as I believe big things are expected of him.

I'd have O'Leary instead of Carty.

Hard to believe how poor Carty is in defence and also how poor he is in controlling the game. His missed kick for touch in the second half and the the kick straight to hogg in the first half were just so so poor it's past acceptable.

The sooner we get Boschoff in the better. Hopefully they miss out on semi finals of currie cup and he could be here early October.