The Sportsground was in party mood last Saturday evening when Mils Muliaina engaged in a race with the ball after charging down a harassed Bayonne clearance. The crowd urged him on but even though the ball went dead, the effort and commitment of the New Zealander shone through the heavy rain. Connacht were in control of the match at this stage and Muliaina had already put in a gruelling 70 minute shift. But here he was, tearing after a lost cause like a debutante: Connacht’s centurion All-Black.
Since his arrival, Pat Lam has set about making a bonfire of the stereotypes about Connacht and the Sportsground as a kind of medieval backwater of modern rugby. Bringing in Muliaina has been a critical factor in enhancing a back line which now likes to be expressive, run the ball from deep and score tries. Danie Poolman was the chief benefactor against Bayonne, running home two excellently worked scores while David McSharry, at outside centre, also cut Bayonne open.
Bundee Aki also scored his first try for the team. The expansiveness of Connacht’s play and their assured handling belied the conditions and although Lam is usually conservative in his praise, he could see Muliana’s fingerprints on the best of Connacht’s moves.
"It is no coincidence that those two guys are playing well and we are starting to score tries since Mils Muliaina arrived. I think his presence and his voice and all that mentoring . . . when he said when he first came, getting on the field is what he was aiming for but their positional play and their confidence is on the back of Mils driving them and also the work that Andre Bell is doing with the backs. So it is pleasing to see those guys scoring in those conditions."
The speed and ease with which Muliaina has blended into the existing back line has been critical. Any concern that the other Connacht players might be overawed or defer to him has faded: if anything, the New Zealander has emboldened the play of his team mates and, as Poolman said, has become an influential voice on training days.
“He just brings a lot of experience. I know that is a cliché but it is what he has. In the team room, if we do a video analysis, he will give loads of tips to the lads of what lines to run and when to change angles and where we might use a player differently to create more space for a guy outside or where we want to strike. In phase play, when he says something to you, you just trust it because you know that he has the experience and knows what he is talking about. The first time I played with him, against Edinburgh, I was really lifted by his presence and he doesn’t have to do anything. His just being there lifts everyone.”
Poolman is in a rich vein of form, bringing his season try total to five against Bayonne, but emphasises that Connacht’s running patterns means that any player can benefit.
“We really work at just walking through where guys are supposed to run and what players are supposed to target. I just ran it and Dave McSharry ran a beautiful line and pulled the guy in and the hole was open for me. So you have everyone in the back line doing their job and then Jack [CARTY]just picked the right hole so it was great team work.”
What really pleases Poolman, in his third season at the club, is the depth of self-belief which has developed within the squad. In their last two games, they responded to poor starts with calmness and stuck to their game plan. He hopes that quality can serve Connacht well as they enter a hugely significant and busy Christmas match programme.
“In the past, if we went behind, we probably wouldn’t be able to fight back and morale would go down. So it is a positive to be come back from points down and get a good win. I think the guys are doing a lot of work on their own and on skill levels. We have Bayonne away and then three Irish derbies. It is going to be really tough. Leinster away, Munster at home and Ulster away so it is a tough month. We just need to keep on top of our skills and keep improving and going at it.”
