Connacht Rugby begins a season like no other in the current building site that is Dexcom Stadium in Galway.
While players have been forced out of their traditional comfort zone to prepare for the new season, the number of fans will be reduced to little more than 4,000 as the development continues.
However, forwards coach and long-time inhabitant at the stadium, John Muldoon, says the conditions are offset by the bigger picture.
“Obviously, it's not ideal, but you're excited by what you see around you,” he says. “The biggest issue [for the squad] is to find a place to be together and have that chill-out time.”
The enclosed greyhound stand remains on the city side to accommodate this season’s spectators, but the gym is the only existing building in the construction area. Portacabins fill the void, and the result is some players eat lunch in their cars.
“There is no real dedicated space to eat and to spend quality time together, so they're in and around rooms, which is not ideal. It’s very similar to how teams had to manage during Covid, so it's not something that's completely foreign to all of us.
“It's grand right now, but I'm sure when it gets wet and it starts to get a bit smelly in there after double sessions, it will get harder. But it’s short term, we all understand this. What we're going to go through now will be for the betterment, and it's going to be a huge addition to Connacht Rugby and everyone involved.”
Muldoon admits having spent the first two weeks training in Corinthians RFC, returning to Dexcom did, however, produce a “wow factor”.
“It's completely changed, but because we're here now day-to-day, we understand what's happening,” Muldoon says. “In the short term, we will be able to pull some of our warm-ups closer to the stand to feed off the crowd - pull in that side to embrace it. But look, it’s short term and we all understand this.
“The most important thing is that we can see, literally daily, what's happening, and it's exciting. So yeah, we have to put up with a bit of pain in the short term. And I suppose the thing is, hopefully we're still around - or the next coaching team will have a grand time!
“We're fortunate we've got a tight group, and culture wise, we’re decent. And we still have our meeting room upstairs.”
Play on the pitch is naturally the priority. Having finished outside the URC top eight last season, “frank discussions on the best way forward” were held, he says.
“Ultimately, at times it was too easy to beat us, and sometimes that was our own downfall. Sometimes we made life easy for the opposition. So I think we need to get better in a lot of areas.
“From my point of view, we need to have a better line-out. We need to ensure we're not making mistakes. Granted, everyone makes mistakes, but we had too many last year.
“The big thing is we need to cut out those unforced errors. And if we control them and are better in those areas, we'll get better outcomes. Obviously, there's a lot in that detail, but there's a bit of ownership and honesty from both sides, players and coaches.”
So far it has not stopped Connacht enjoying pre-season wins over Sale Sharks and Glasgow, but Muldoon is not getting carried away after disappointing results last season. And playing top European rugby remains the target.
“Europe is a great opportunity for us. It was difficult last year in Europe. There were a couple of good performances; Bordeaux was an obvious low. But when you look at it, we're in the second tier competition and there’s a definite chance for silverware - that's what we're all here for.
“We want to win trophies. And I think there’s certainly a big opportunity for us, but right now, we're just concentrating on being better than last year.”
Connacht will be boosted this season with the availability of several key players - Mack Hansen, Santiago Cordero, and Josh Murphy. Nine new signings include New Zealander Josh Ioane, Piers O’Connor from Bristol Bears, hooker Adam McBurney, and some talented youngsters such as Galwegians’ Hugh Gavin, and Ben Murphy.
“Throughout last year we saw moments when our attack was excellent, but there were individuals we missed who are huge to us. We are just trying to make sure everything is better this year, and that leads with our defence. It’s another year down, more experience, so we’re just trying to make sure we concede less than we score.”
However Muldoon is hoping the Connacht building blocks put in place last year will reap rewards.
“We were a new coaching group and there were a lot of things we wanted to change - new ideas and a fresh thought process into what was happening and identities. So I think for players, in hindsight, it probably was an awful lot for them to take on board. And ultimately, when you strip it back and you start thinking about what's a good defence, it’s based on hard work. It's based on getting in your face.
“So let's pull it right back. Get back to those basics. Our breakdown was awesome last year. So we've a foundation we can build on there. And then we get a good line-out, we get a good scrum, and suddenly, it's a horrible place to play, isn't it?
“At times last year we showed that we can play really nice rugby, but at other times, we coughed up to possession too often, we let in some soft tries. We need to be better at those things. Stop giving away those little easy opportunities.”
Muldoon genuinely believes the mood in the camp is more positive to win a title than last year.
“There's more of a developed sense of cohesion. We’re a year down the line. We've made mistakes, and we're on the road to ironing out some of those things and making sure we don't repeat them.
“And I think we're pushing - pushing the players and trying to be better at everything we do. Hopefully that leads us into a good season."
The season kicks off with an away fixture against Munster, but Muldoon insists that winning or losing in Thomond Park will not define Connacht.
“Once we see that improvement and we build momentum, that's what we need.”
