Connacht’s key international players will be missing from action for their crunch encounter against Ospreys in Swansea on Saturday.
Bundee Aki, Mack Hansen, Finlay Bealham and Cian Prendergast will continue to be rested when Connacht face a Welsh outfit that is just a single point behind them.
And with just six regular fixtures before the quarter-finalists are decided, Connacht coach Colm Tucker says “every win counts”.
Two successive home wins over Benetton and Cardiff have ensured Connacht remain in the fight, but with 10 teams all within eight points of each other, Tucker says his players are facing a “big physical block” of games, that includes a double-header in South Africa, which ensures the entire squad will be needed.
“It’s the business end of the season now. We’ve three big games in a row, and hopefully more knock-out rugby after Cardiff, but [with] the last two wins, we put ourselves back in contention.
“We just need to keep momentum, keep it game to game - the same five points you get for beating Benetton is the same four or five points you get for beating the Ospreys. So that's the focus.”
The tight table is also helping to ensure a new competitiveness within the Connacht squad.
“They're putting their hands up for selection. The players really want to be involved now. It’s great, with plenty of headaches as coaches.
“They're training well, they're chomping at the bit, so it puts us in the pressurised position to get the right team on the pitch each week - but that's a great place for us to be in.”
Tucker is conscious that each team is capable of beating the other in any given week, including the Ospreys who boast current Wales captain Jac Morgan, Dewi Lake and Gareth Thomas, while Tucker pinpoints Morgan Morris, Keelan Gilies and the hugely important Justin Tiperic who are players who will cause damage if allowed.
“They have an excellent team. And I think that's where the URC has stepped up across the board. The quality of the squads is really, really good, which is making for competitive games and a lot of teams beating each other.
“They have plenty of X Factor, so it's a big challenge for us. And obviously you're going away from home to Wales as well. So our own set piece has to be excellent, and our physicality has to be right up there as well.”
New coach
Meanwhile with the departure of coaches Scott Fardy and Mark Sexton, Connacht looks to have attracted another Australian to the province, Australia A head coach Rod Seib.
An experienced coach at both club and international level, Seib joins from the Brumbies where he has served as the club’s senior assistant coach since 2020, with responsibility for team attack.
Born in Brisbane, Seib coached Sunnybank Rugby in the Queensland Premier League, before taking up head coach roles at Brisbane City and Queensland Country in the Australian National Rugby Championship (NRC ). In 2019 he was appointed head coach of the Queensland Reds Academy team, where he coached current Connacht back Byron Ralston. In 2020 he joined the Brumbies as attack coach under Dan McKellar, where he coached Mack Hansen among others, before being promoted to senior assistant coach under Stephen Larkham. During his tenure they reached the final of the 2021 Super Rugby AU.
Rod Seib says moving to Ireland and Connacht is an “enormous opportunity”.
“Rugby in Ireland is on a crest of a wave, and Connacht is a club with great belief and ambition to achieve big things in the years ahead. I had some positive discussions with Pete about where I can help, and after analysing the team and their style of play I think it’s the perfect step in the next stage of my career. I’m looking forward to making the move and to help bring success to the club.”
Connacht head coach Pete Wilkins says Seib brings a wealth of experience at the highest level of southern hemisphere rugby.
“His coaching philosophy is well suited to the attacking rugby that we look to play here at Connacht. He also has a strong track record of developing young players and helping them fulfil their potential, something that will always be important to us in terms of the model we pursue. I look forward to welcoming Rod and his family to the province and I know they’ll be well received by the club and wider community.”
