Rugby

Andy Friend puts faith in youngsters to help Connacht reach new heights

Under-resourced province have enjoyed impressive wins but greater consistency needed

Connacht’s Oran McNulty in action against Stade Francais at the Sportsground earlier this month. Photograph: James Crombie/Inpho

John O'Sullivan's face
John O'Sullivan
Fri Dec 24 2021 - 06:00

There was a moment in Connacht’s recent Heineken Champions Cup defeat to Leicester Tigers when the commentary team suggested that it was impossible not to admire how the plucky, unfashionable Irish province was proving a handful for the English Premiership leaders.

There was no slight intended but it’s a hoary old cliché to which some pundits cling as a general overview instead of appreciating the evidence of their eyes. Connacht played some superb rugby in the first half and were ultimately destabilised by a yellow card and a creaking scrum in slipping to defeat; undone by a power outage up front.

For those with a more intimate knowledge of Irish rugby, it’s fashionable to like Connacht, a preferred second team among the supporters of provincial rivals. It’s fashionable to appreciate the way they play the game, to appreciate head coach Andy Friend’s shrewd work in signing players who have added conspicuously to the squad and to appreciate his faith in entrusting starting roles to a young cohort.

Connacht may be under-resourced compared to other provinces but Friend has never brandished it as an excuse or mitigation for performances or results. He’s built a playing framework and entrusted it to his players in a match environment.

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It’s easy on the eye but style without substance is ultimately unfulfilling. It’s great to play an attractive brand but without the results to back it up Connacht would be destined to wander the United Rugby Championship and the Champions Cup as green-shirted rugby troubadours who never get to play the main stage.

Opportunities

Injuries at various points to Denis Buckley, Gavin Thornbury, Matt Healy, Tiernan O’Halloran, Tom Daly, Tom Farrell and Bundee Aki to highlight some high-profile names have provided opportunities for other players, several of whom have stepped up impressively.

The former Ireland Under-20 international Oran McNulty swapped the west country in England for the west of Ireland as a teenager in joining the Connacht academy under the gentle persuasion of Eric Elwood and Cullie Tucker. Educated at Millfield and on the books at Bath, the 21-year-old played for the Exiles on an undefeated tour of Ireland in his second last year at school.

First impressions

Connacht made an approach and he agreed to return. Shortly after his arrival, he was asked for his first impressions and admitted: “It’s very different from back home, but other than the weather, it’s brilliant. The people are lovely and I have really settled in well over there.

“It was tough. I have got a big family so leaving the family and everything was tough in the first few weeks. But I settled in nicely. I made a lot of friends. A lot of my friends from England visited.

“It is a very family-oriented club. They are aware of where people have come from. They do put the family before anything else, which is a great ethos in the club.” His younger brother Finn is a member of the current Ireland Under-19 squad.

McNulty impressed at fullback on the Irish Under-20 side that won all three matches prior to the 2020 Six Nations Championship before the remainder of the tournament was cancelled due to Covid-19.

He played for the Connacht Eagles and spent a little time in the Ireland Sevens programme before making his senior provincial debut off the bench against Edinburgh last March. In the three matches to date this season, he’s offered glimpses of his talent, particularly with the ball in hand.

In the victory over the Ospreys, McNulty was a key contributor to a debut try for centre Shayne Bolton and then followed up with one of his own. In it he demonstrated vision, pace and confidence to find the space, take it and accelerate to the try line.

South African-born centre Bolton (21) looks a decent prospect while Mack Hansen’s (23) impact has been phenomenal by any yardstick.

Since arriving last summer the Aussie has scored six tries in seven matches, left 38 defenders floundering and been called up to Ireland squad training. It’s hard to think how he could be more endearing to the Clan terrace. Former Roscrea schoolboy Diarmuid Kilgallen (21) is another to quicken the pulse of Connacht supporters.

The “newbies” have benefited appreciably from the intelligent direction of outhalf and captain Jack Carty. It’s his vision, his range of passing and punting skills that have unlocked opportunities for those outside. When the team hums in attack he’s punching the tickets.

In the absence of the first-choice midfield, Sammy Arnold – he will be missed when he leaves for France in the summer – has been a key contributor while Kieran Marmion and Caolin Blade both take a little heat from the outhalf by looking for space on the fringes.

Any platform is predicated on the work of the pack in which one or two of the young players have excelled and none more so than Kildare native, Cian Prendergast. The 21-year-old, 6ft 5in player has taken a reasonably firm grasp on the number six jersey this season, playing seven matches from an overall tally of 17 appearances for the province.

Growth spurt

The quality of his work stands out on both sides of the balls, while the fact that he once roamed with the backs prior to a growth spurt at the age of 15 is evident from his work in the loose. In the absence of primary lineout exponent Thornbury, Prendergast, Niall Murray (22) and Óisín Dowling (24) have taken some of the load from Ultan Dillane.

Buckley’s long-term injury and Finlay Bealham’s Ireland commitments have placed a heavier burden on Matthew Burke (24), Jordan Duggan (23) and Jack Aungier (23) but all have carried it lightly. Friend acknowledged the contribution of the young players that played in the 29-23 defeat to the Tigers last weekend.

He said: “We do have a lot of youth in the team and that’s how they grow. They grow from coming into big stadiums like this against quality teams like Leicester Tigers. Add to that Matty Burke, Jack Aungier, two other young men, Diarmuid Kilgallen, still an academy player. So yeah, we’ve got some real good youth coming through and the key now is to hold them all together.”

Arnold and Dillane leave for France in the summer, Daly and Bealham are internationals who have signed contract extensions. A key for Connacht, starting on Sunday with a trip to Belfast, is to bring a greater consistency from game to game. There have been some impressive wins over the Bulls, Ulster, Ospreys and Stade Francais in which many of the younger players have shone; for the collective it’s about trying to shallow that gap between the peaks and troughs.

If they do that then they’ll definitely be on trend and fashionable enough for all tastes.