Madam, - I refer to your Linley MacKenzie's report from the Galway Sportsground in today's paper (August 22nd) on Connacht's match against South Africa. While I agree with him that Connacht's display was full of heart, and, if I am permitted to use a word seemingly reserved for our Munster cousins, pride, I do feel that the headline - "Connacht stave off predicted hammering" - was unnecessarily negative.
Connacht are a team consistently under-valued, under-funded, and, possibly, under-supported. Instead of seeming to be grudgingly accepting of the fact that a predicted, even expected hammering wasn't handed out to Connacht, why not celebrate that the game was a grand occasion, and a considerable achievement which might just lead to greater things for Ireland's rugby minnows? - Yours, etc,
CLIODHNA GERAGHTY, Clarenbridge, Co Galway.