The initiation rites for Connacht rugby coaches never change. On Monday afternoon as Pat Lam put his players through their paces, the dry October weather was quickly replaced by an unholy Galway city downpour.
Lam had just about dried off when he sat down to go through the inventory which affects Connacht more than those teams with deeper reserves: the injury list.
Afterwards he sat back and explained why he believed that his team could somehow defeat an ominously powerful Saracens team in Friday night’s Heineken Cup opener just a week after Connacht’s desultory 23-3 loss to Treviso.
Friday night’s game at the Sportsground is a crossing point of the conflicting ideologies which are threatening the future of European rugby. Saracens are, of course a central element of the English-French axis seeking to establish an elite competition and effectively end the scenario where the most powerful clubs visit fringe cities like Galway for these David- and-Goliath cup nights.
Dominated opening weeks
They have dominated the opening weeks of England's rugby season and running up a withering score in Galway would be the best way to illustrate the argument of their dissatisfaction with the current competition.
“Well, we haven’t heard them say that,” Lam says evenly in response to the idea that the Saracens club don’t really believe clubs like Connacht belong on their schedule.
“But there is a lot at stake because it is a European Cup game. We have seen the impact those games have had here so it is a big game regardless of the politics. People will have opinions and we can’t control that. Saracens are on a roll. They are not just beating some of the top teams in the Premiership, they are smashing them. And we know it is going to be a big ask.
“And that is exciting. I think we go into this in the frame of mind of the ‘Connacht way’. Every time I see these guys prepare and go out: they are committed. They fight to the end. Even when we know the game is gone, they go hard. And in the changing room, I feel for them because they are sore boys. They throw their bodies around. But they are looking forward to it.”
Lam knows that he is probably echoing the words and sentiments of Eric Elwood and Michael Bradley, his predecessors at Connacht whose job it was not just to coach a rugby team but to maintain morale regardless of their win/loss ratio.
Familiar territory
It is still early in the season but already Lam has seen the westerners occupy familiar territory between a rock and a hard place, with just a win against Zebre to show for their efforts to date. Lam's belief is that his players have made rapid improvements in their overall game but that key decision making has cost them dearly. When he examined the statistics for the Treviso game, he noted that the team had dominated the top carries (Danie Poolman, with 11 led; only one Treviso player made it in the top six) and top metres run.
“You would almost think that we had won the game,” he said. “There are some real positive signs on what we are trying to do. The [problematic] area is our finishing. We make a lot of line breaks. We are one of the top teams in off loads. We have the highest running metres of any team. But it comes down to our errors and our decision making. There is no doubt that while we are disappointed we are heading in the right direction.
“Don’t get me wrong: we are disappointed where we are at because we had opportunities to win a lot of those games. But when we go through it in detail, we take the things we are doing well and look at what is costing us. We go back to that process of reviewing each game and applying that at training. But we have to stay focused on where we are trying to head to.”
All round game
For Connacht, that place has always been above them. More victories, more bonus points, bigger crowds, bigger sponsorship: every season has been about inches. Lam's vision is to try and get his team to develop a better all round game. When they review tapes and statistics, the work they have done on the training field is glaring back at them. They have gained in areas where Connacht teams have traditionally struggled – in metres gained, in offloading, in defenders beaten.
“The boys tell me that Connacht have never ranked as highly in those areas.”
But penalties conceded and turnovers have punished them severely. The belief is that sooner or later, they will do the small things right and put a big performance together.
“If you look at the game at the weekend between the All Blacks and South Africa . . . what a phenomenal game. And what you had there was players doing the basics really well but under pressure. And that is the key. My 13-year-old will pass the ball well . . . all those kids will feel like they can pass and play really well and they can. But the next level is doing it under pressure.
Connacht's aim
"That is the aim for us here at Connacht. The more we keep attempting to do that – because I still believe that when you make mistakes, you are doing something. When you don't make any mistakes, you aren't doing anything. Just kick a ball because you don't want to touch it.
“But we are making progress in areas where have not traditionally been strong. The more you drive a car, the better you get. Any team wants to aspire to be the best.”
Lam’s passion for the game is clear, as a former winner with Northampton, his fondness for the Heineken Cup shines through. “Bigger, faster, stronger,” he grins when asked about how the game has changed since he played.
Northampton’s win, when they ended a 128-year history of modest respectability was, he points out, about fine lines and squeezing through on narrow margins. Lam feels as if he is now coaching a team close to reaching the right side of those narrow lines.
“What hasn’t changed is that this is a magnificent tournament. These are special nights and you remember them . . . particularly for guys who might not get their taste of international rugby. So I look forward to it for these guys and for the Connacht fans. It is a great chance to play a high flier in the Premiership.”
