Connacht are back in Dexcom Stadium tomorrow for the return of URC action with the visit of Italian outfit Zebre Parma.
Boosted after their superb win over Saracens in their Champions Cup fixture, Stuart Lancaster’s side will be looking to take that European form into the regular season to maintain momentum as the URC enters its fourth week.
Their thrilling European win over Saracens has been a superb boost for players and fans, and it is the ideal time for Lancaster’s side to bag another victory before the break for the November internationals.
Certainly Connacht cannot take anything for granted against the Italian visitors, despite them languishing at the bottom of the URC table.
Shane Jennings and Thomas Connolly are undergoing GRTP protocols, and are ruled out, while there are no updates on Dylan Tierney-Martin, Ben Murphy, Hugh Gavin and Byron Ralston. However, Connacht have been boosted with the return of several key players this week, including Will Connors, Dave Heffernan and Harry West, who have all returned to full training and are available for selection.
The Dexcom fans will be delighted to see Connors in action, if selected. The 30-years-old flanker, who made 64 appearances for Leinster after first joining its sub-academy in 2015, has been sidelined with a foot injury for several months, and no doubt he will relish the opportunity to make his first appearance at Dexcom in the Connacht colours.
Despite Zebre’s lowly position, Connacht cannot afford to take anything for granted. And the coaching staff will be quick to remind them of the Italians’ pride and passion for their game - not to mention having beaten Connacht on three occasions.
Connacht will need to be wary of the Italian side’s unstructured game. Connacht’s backs coach Gerard Mullen is taking nothing for granted, and is looking for even more improvement following their superb win over Saracens.
“We know it's not going to come easy. I wouldn't be surprised if it’s quite close for large parts of the game. But if we stick in there and keep pounding, we’ll be able to get the job done.”
And that Connacht, despite the super win last Saturday, cannot take Zebre for granted.
Time to 'kick on'
“Saturday against Saracens was great and when we celebrate that, it's fantastic, but we have to be better again.
“Friday is an opportunity for us to to kick on again, and hopefully get a win at home,” he says. “Our focus is having a better and higher level of performance.”
The team’s attacking display against Saracens is how Connacht want to play rugby, but Connacht need to push on.
“We're still nowhere near where we know we can be. We’ve got to keep pushing the envelope. We left scores out there against Saracens.”
And he insists Connacht must become “more ruthless”.
“We conceded a couple scores we were unhappy about. It’s just about trying to grow our game the whole time.”
Mullen, a former Clongowes player, who coached at Harlequins for several years, says Zebre can be tricky opponents despite their position in the table.
“In some ways they are the harder games because they're going to come here and throw the kitchen sink at us. So for us, it’s about really sticking to our systems and processes.”
And he insists that Connacht also need to step up another another level from that win over Saracens.
“If we do that, we'll win the game. So, in terms of a sharp training week, we need to get our contact skills on point. If we do, we’ll cause problems.”
