The return of international players cannot come soon enough for Connacht, facing two upcoming fixtures that could be season defining.
Both away, first up is Benetton in the URC on Saturday, followed by Pau in Europe’s Challenge Cup round of 16, and forwards coach John Muldoon admits the players missing are “not easily replaced”.
However, neither Bundee Aki nor Finlay Bealham are expected to be available this weekend, which comes on the back of the weekend’s mauling by Emirates Lions.
“Finlay has a new addition to his family and needs time to get to knows his little fella, and Bundee has been carrying a couple of injuries. Anyone at the Scotland game would have seen the strapping on his legs,” Muldoon says.
The Counter Ruck: the rugby newsletter from The Irish Times
Andy Farrell offers opportunities against Fiji but stresses established Ireland players must also perform
Four ways Ireland can fix their misfiring attack: Let Goodman cook and where is the 10?
English rugby told to wake up as RFU expected to reveal record losses
“Lots of players are starting to come back to bolster us again. A few are transitioning from injury to add fire and competition in places, and we look forward to them joining the group again.”
Aki is due to return to training later this week, Shayne Bolton has fully recovered, and there is also a possible first appearance of Argentinian Santiago Cordero. However, all are unavailable for Saturday’s battle in Treviso against a side that is now level on championship points with Connacht after 12 fixtures.
“Up front they have a star-studded pack and a work ethic too,” says Muldoon. “They have added to their game in the last four years. They chase kicks, they really work hard, they are abrasive physically, so they will be whetting their lips. We have to make sure we match everything up front, and they have a couple of outside backs who can make stuff out of nothing.”
It is all about righting the wrongs of a poor performance against Emirates Lions - Connacht’s first home loss to a South African side.
“We have certainly made life more difficult for ourselves. It’s not as if we have completely blown our chance. We are disappointed, we know how big this game is after the performance at the weekend, so we have to make sure we get our stuff right and make sure our physicality is right. Effectively we are up against an Italian pack, and we have to make sure we are matching them.”
In other news, Connacht have handed tighthead prop Jack Aungier a two-year contract extension, keeping the 25-year-old at the province until at least 2026.
- Listen to our Inside Politics Podcast for the latest analysis and chat
- Sign up for push alerts and have the best news, analysis and comment delivered directly to your phone
- Find The Irish Times on WhatsApp and stay up to date
