On one hand Connacht have sacrificed home advantage per se, or at any rate the familiarity they have with the Sportsground, by dint of moving next Saturday’s URC derby against Munster to MacHale Park (kick-off 2.30pm). But on the other hand, they’ll surely gain from drawing on a 26,000-plus crowd which will be about five times their normal attendance this season while their Galway home undergoes redevelopment.
The way Connacht see it, according to scrum and contact coach Colm Tucker, this is a novel home tie, but still very much a home tie.
“It’s a bit of an occasion as well which we have to buy into and we have to feed into. But we have to be very clear in how we prepare. It’s still Munster, who are a fantastic team. We can’t play the game today. We have to build through the week with our processes and practices, and then just enjoy everything when we get there.
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“I think from our point of view, considering the amount of tickets sold and the spread of tickets in the five counties, it definitely will be a home game for us.”
As with their Munster counterparts, the Connacht players won’t even begin to make themselves familiar with the pitch at MacHale Park until their captain’s run on Friday. However, the grass will be cut to make it more akin to what Connacht are used to on the 4G surface at the Sportsground and the pitch dimensions will be the exact same.
Mayo will contest the National Football League final against Kerry at Croke Park next Sunday after their dramatic win over Donegal last Sunday in MacHale Park, and the county’s team manager Kevin McStay visited the Sportsground on Tuesday to familiarise the Connacht squad with Castlebar, its stadium and how the Gaelic football team approach match days at home.
“We were very appreciative of him sharing his thoughts and wisdom with us. It was fantastic,” said Tucker, who believes McStay’s presentation helps to achieve the week’s delicate balancing act between embracing the occasion and not losing sight of the game’s importance in the race for the URC play-offs.
“I think it’s, first of all, acknowledging it by having somebody like Kevin in to explain the background of the stadium and the importance of Mayo GAA to Connacht Rugby and the relationship there. And then, as I said, it’s just process-driven from there, really.
“It’s an inter-pro as well, which obviously adds another layer. Munster are playing some very good rugby. So, there’s all those layers. But again, you have to come back to being calm and how you approach the game, making sure you’re fully prepared. And we can’t play the game today. We can’t play Thursday. We can’t play Friday.
“We have to be calm in how we approach our preparation and then come Friday, just feed into the emotion that no doubt our supporters, who have been fantastic, are going to bring to us.”
Shayne Bolton misses out due to the foot sprain he suffered in last Saturday’s 43-40 defeat against the Ospreys, although Tucker said: “We’ll see him back sooner rather than later.” Prop Peter Dooley will miss a number of weeks due to a calf strain, and joins longer-term casualties Seán O’Brien (hamstring), Ben Murphy (finger) and Byron Ralston (knee).
[ Second-half resurgence not enough to give Connacht much-needed win over OspreysOpens in new window ]
But in addition to Eoin de Buitlear recovering from a thumb fracture, Connacht’s international quartet of Bundee Aki, Mack Hansen, Finlay Bealham and captain Cian Prendergast are back in training and are expected to start on Saturday.
No less than those in attendance, this is a game everyone wants to play in and Tucker, who is again leading the coaching team due to head coach Pete Wilkins being on sick leave, admitted: “There’s some disappointed guys who’ve spoken to. It’s tough on them but it’s professional sport and we’ve put what we feel is the best ‘23’ on the pitch for the weekend and these are the guys we believe in.
“As a squad, it’s up to all of them to help prepare those guys to be in the best position to play on Saturday and to represent the province and represent the club. The whole squad has a huge role this week, a massive role.”
Most pressingly, there is an unprecedented scramble for the top eight play-offs, with just eight points between Cardiff in fifth and Zebre in 15th, and all 11 of those sides have won either five or six matches so far.
Connacht, who sit 12th on 31 points, probably need three or four wins from their final five games, which includes a trek to South Africa, but Tucker was reluctant to veer away from one-game-at-a-time mode.
“We’re going up to win the game, that’s our approach, and that’s going to be our mentality for each game we play for the rest of the year. We just have to get wins.”
Tucker acknowledged that defence has been a focus this week after sharing a dozen tries with the Ospreys, where he cited a lack of communication and connection, but all this aside, Saturday’s game will undoubtedly be an opportunity to reach out to new supporters the province.
“Absolutely and the way we’re playing the game at the moment is very exciting, it should appeal to everybody. The big thing is that everybody gets there early and soaks up the atmosphere which will be very, very special on the day.
“This is an opportunity for us as an organisation and a club to get out amongst the province, get out from the Sportsground, and show a good account of ourselves. It’s fantastic the province have backed us with the spread of tickets around the five counties. It’s an occasion we’re massively looking forward to.”
Separately, Connacht Rugby and Intersport Elverys have renewed their long-standing partnership, which dates back to 2010, which will see the brand remain as the club’s official retail partner until 2029.
