RUGBY ANALYST:Like no other team, Connacht must push the boundary at the breakdown, writes LIAM TOLAND
“Three miles up, three miles down,” was the battle cry for Easy Company, 101st Airborne Division in their training. The six-mile round trip was of course up the infamous Currahee Mountain in Georgia. Tonight will be Connacht’s Currahee where there’ll be nothing simple for them; three miles up, three miles down. The name is derived from the Cherokee word meaning stand alone. Connacht over the past seasons have been very much alone. The crowd and most importantly Connacht’s mascot ‘Eddie the Eagle’ has his part to play tonight. Little does he know, I’m sure, that the 101st Airborne Division are also known as the Screaming Eagles.
Toulon are joint leaders in the Top 14 with a massive budget matching their massive ambition. They’ve beaten Leinster and Munster’s opponents Toulouse and Biarritz in recent weeks. The bookies have Connacht at a converted try so there is a chance. In order for that chance to be exercised then Toulon’s numbers eight, 12 and 13 must be double teamed. Each one of them has the pace and power to play on the gain line, break tackles and look for offloads.
Rugby at this level is very much dominated by key players. Toulouse have Yannick Jauzion; Biarritz have Damien Traille and Leinster have Brian O’Driscoll. If Connacht can cope with Toulon’s key players then they have a great chance. But as we saw in Wales last week when they couldn’t, the scoreline was horrible.
There are obvious reasons for that result but tonight the Connacht half-backs need to understand the geography of the match is all important.
As every minute passes, Frank Murphy and Ian Keatley must understand the scoreboard, their field position and the demanding balance between risk and reward. With them Gavin Duffy must be the eyes on referee Wayne Barnes. Like no other team, Connacht must push the boundary at the breakdown.
Against Munster their physicality didn’t match their play. Against Leinster it was awesome. Tonight Connacht will need that and more with their captain sacrificing his body for the cause. Opposing him at blindside and captain is Joe van Niekerk. However, Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe is the key player on the pitch. George Naoupu must match him. He must also control the base of the Connacht scrum as it will be shaky at times which can send ripples down the line.
As I hinted last week, to play Toulouse in Toulouse equals to lose. With the disruption of injuries, questionable form and an away fixture, it’s hard not to be negative. The challenge for Leinster is that their focus over the past weeks has been split. With Jonny Sexton out, they have problems. But crucially Leinster can live with the pace of Toulouse.
Jauzion is without doubt their go-to man. Although he appears lazy in his running he remains very active, often getting several touches in one passage of play. As for Jamie Smith’s cracking try off Darren Cave’s offload for Ulster last week, Jauzion creates mayhem in contact. This becomes particularly dangerous when number eight Louis Picamoles is loitering in midfield. Picamoles may not be as athletic as Jamie Heaslip but he can take three men out of play.
Clearly the most exciting player in the Six Nations, Clement Poitrenaud at fullback will focus Leinster’s kicking game but Cedric Heymans on the left wing does untold damage particularly off broken-field rucks. The Leinster defence will naturally focus on Jauzion and just when they think he’s under control Heymans has a nasty habit of popping up to run into the space Jauzion creates.
Worryingly Toulouse have the ability to switch their style of play mid-match. Their scrumhalf Byron Kelleher epitomises this attitude. One minute he is firing out the deftest of passes that set Toulouse off and the next he is flattening a secondrow.
When close to the try line they are patient and powerful eking out a score. When far away from the line they are sublime. Their weak link remains at 10. Jean-Baptiste Elissaldes remains the obvious starter but has limitations. In a tight match he may not have the balance to steer Toulouse home.
Tomorrow’s match will be full of stars but it is the Argentinian Patricio Albacete that I’ll be keeping a close eye on. In many ways he’s not unlike Leo Cullen and he adds enormous value when he’s on the ball. With a precious two French caps, blindside Jean Bouilhou would appear of little importance but Toulouse rely heavily on his lineout especially on opposition ball. They have a habit of moving him around in defensive lineouts where his pace over the ground can cause real trouble.
If Leinster can live with Toulouse’s pace they have a chance but if Munster can dictate the pace of their game they will win. Without Damien Traille, Biarritz are brittle. Munster’s pace of play inside will expose Biarritz’s blistering pace outside. Their back three are very quick but they can be one-dimensional. USA international winger Takudzwa Ngwenya illustrates this no end. In the past he has rounded Springbok speedster Bryan Habana and scored a classic 80-metre try over Shane Williams of the Ospreys.
But! He is a terrible defender particularly off his inside shoulder. Backing his pace he sets attackers up to head towards the touchline to make an easier tackle. Last week Clermont Auvergne fullback Aurelien Rougerie stepped simply inside Ngwenya with a hard line on the way to Napoleoni Nalaga’s try. Munster’s ferocious breakdown ball will allow the outside backs to force Ngwenya into decisions. At speed he will get it wrong.
Given a choice I’m sure Biarritz would happily face Paul O’Connell if they had Damien Traille in their midfield. That is how important he remains to the home side.
He’s not in and Imanol Harinordoquy has a sore nose hence Munster’s intensity will test all aspects of this encounter.
Munster’s scrum and lineout will compete with Biarritz. Without Traille, scrumhalf Dimitri Yachvili will be forced to carry the load. Alan Quinlan will have this uppermost in his mind no doubt.
PS. A word of warning, if the three matches are tight drop goals may win it. Every French club match I watched last week had at least one successful drop goal.
