“When all beside a vigil keep, the west’s asleep, the west’s asleep/but hark me boys, like thunder spake, the west’s awake, the west’s awake”. It’s not all that long ago the the brain-less trust were advocating the abolishment of of Connacht altogether. As a rugby team, not literally. With the idea being that players deemed ‘good enough’ would be subsumed into the other provinces. As a rugby team, not literally!
It was only upon protests akin to those which underpinned matters like the divorce or abortion referenda that the lunatics were driven back from the precipice and sense – insertion of the word ‘Common’ will be refrained from – prevailed.
Thereafter, as is often the case, those from the Wild Atlantic Way operated (brilliantly) with a chip on both shoulders and actually reached the highest point in their oval ball history when annexing the Guinness PR012 – as it was then – by defeating Leinster in Murrayfield. Glorious and overdue reward for people like Eric Elwood and Johnny Muldoon and Pat Lam and Michael Bradley who had chipped away at the rock face in order to get the green and black to not only salvation but to push them on to arguably the greatest point in their rugby history.
You know, it’s a bit of a curiosity, a team won’t win anything without quality players but your good players won’t start to be afforded due recognition until the team starts recording noteworthy achievements.
Hence, on the back of that PR012 win, the likes of Tiarnan O’Halloran, Kieran Marmion, Ultan Dillane, Mac Hansen, Paul Boyle and Finlay Bealham were eventually given the reward bastions of the province have long been due. That said, viewed from a different angle, one would have to concede that the season just concluded didn’t in fact deliver as much as looked possible or maybe even probable at times.
However, in fairness to whoever is at the controls at the DexCom Stadium, they certainly cannot be accused of sitting on their hands, because, within days of the season concluding, the five county province have announced the blockbuster signing of Stuart Lancaster as coach for the 2025/’26 season.
The irony being that Connacht’s landing of Lancaster comes at a time when the other three provinces have been displaying more frailties than at any stage since the professional era began in the sphere of the oval ball began. Surely at some point, the question must be asked as to at what point Leo Cullen’s credit accrued for past glories even begins to run out and the tenability of his tenure begins to get called into question.
Ulster look, well, like their usual middle of the road selves. Capable of plenty but delivering little to nothing. What’s more, with Iain Henderson not having that much sand left in the hour glass, you do wonder, outside of Rob Herring, where their next international representation is going to come from.
Then again, the same pondering could be undertaken with regard to Munster. With Pete O’Mahony and Conor Murray and Rory Scannell having departed camp red, is there anybody jumping off the page demanding selection?
Because no, I wouldn’t even count either Tadhg Beirne or Craig Casey as being definite starters. For one thing, a back row of James Ryan and Joe McCarthy would be hard to pass up. Ditto Gibson-Park and Sam Prendergast in opposition to Craig Casey and Jack Crowley.
You would have thought with Paul O’Connell taking charge of Ireland’s summer tour that any of the Munster lads who were thought to be knocking on the door would have been afforded the opportunity to step in.
However, while Tom Ahern has been afforded the opportunity to garner his first cap, the omission of Tom Farrell is baffling to put it mildly.
Not only because with the amount of players tied up on Lions duty presenting the opportunity for an infusion of new talent the Munster centre should have been top of the list. Also, and more fundamentally, mind you, because he was recognised at the end of the URC season as the most influential player therein.
Nothing will ever diminish my admiration of Paul O’Connell and seeing as there’s seemingly a mutual lack of interest between him and the power brokers in Munster, the initial hope would be that when Andy Farrell eventually departs (should already have happened) the red marauder will step up to the top job. But he’s already after putting undue pressure himself by leaving out Tom Farrell.
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