Whatever insights he had into Connacht, and he had plenty, it’s clear that new signing Piers O’Conor was not buying into an underdog mentality.
“I can’t say that we dwell on it too much,” says the 29-year-old back, who cites his competitive debut last week when Connacht were pipped 35-33 by Munster.
“I don’t think there was a single person in the squad that felt we might not win this. We generally went in there with a firm belief that we were gonna win the game. That’s the belief we’re trying to sort of change and I think we are really confident again going to this weekend,” adds O’Conor of Saturday’s meeting with the Sharks in the Dexcom Stadium (kick-off 7.35pm).
O’Conor played in English club rugby for a decade, initially with Wasps before rebuilding his career with Ealing Trailfinders. He then had six productive seasons with Bristol Bears, where he played 137 games, scoring 35 tries.
After first speaking with Pete Wilkins, O’Conor saw Connacht as “a great opportunity to further my rugby. I needed to step out of my comfort zone and moving away from England, and coming to Galway, was an exciting prospect”.
He certainly wasn’t short of people to consult on his move given the extraordinary crossover in players and coaches between Connacht and Bristol.
“I think it’s just one of those weird coincidences and sometimes that happens in rugby,” says O’Conor.
Even so, Kieran Marmion and Jake Heenan were among those who made the move in the opposite direction, while another former Bristol player, Joe Joyce, has helped O’Conor to settle in.
“Everyone talks so well about the city and how much fun it is, and it’s a very welcoming club; a club that has some serious aspirations in what they want to achieve.
“I spoke to ‘Heens’, and he loved his time here. Same with Marmo. Same with John Muldoon. I don’t think I had a single bad word about Connacht apart from the weather. So, hopefully, the weather we’ve had over the last week stays. I’m not holding my breath on that one but there’s been no negativity about joining. It’s all been positive.”
A preseason training session near the Silver Strand – “that was beautiful” – has prompted a desire to see more of Connemara with his girlfriend, as well as visit an uncle in Roscommon.
Born in Sydney and reared in England, O’Conor qualifies for Ireland through his grandfather Desmond O’Conor, who is an Irish passport holder who has spent most of his life in England. One of O’Conor’s two uncles who live in Ireland, Kieran, is an archaeologist at the University of Galway.
O’Conor played for Ireland Under-19s in 2013 before switching to the England Under-20s, winning a Six Nations in which he scored a try against Ireland in Donnybrook and reaching a World Cup final. The closest he came to a full cap was when Eddie Jones included him in an England XV against the Barbarians in 2018.
O’Conor is physical and a strong carrier, with good footwork, while his on-field voice and defensive leadership were attractive to Connacht, and also his versatility. Including the preseason games, he’s already played at fullback, wing, and outside centre. But he’s in no doubt where he would prefer to play.
“I want to play 13. That’s the position I feel most comfortable, and I feel like I can impact the game most, and that’s the one I’m gonna be pushing for to play most minutes at. But if the team need me to play somewhere else, I’ll play somewhere else.”
In addition to the breakthrough Pro 12 triumph of 2016, one of the enduring legacies of Pat Lam’s time with Connacht before his move to Bristol was how the province became synonymous with an ambitious and expansive brand of rugby, which Kieran Keane, Andy Friend and now Wilkins have all sought to fine-tune and develop.
Hence, one of the other appealing aspects of O’Conor’s move was the similarities in rugby styles.
“I spoke to a number of the players and we’re not scared to throw the ball around, which is something that I enjoy as well. We’re not a team of just head down and carrying it. That’s not the kind of game plan that I enjoy. And what we’re trying to do at the moment, free-flowing rugby, is the game I like to play. So, it’s a win-win.”
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