Thornley: Impressive Connacht confounding the sceptics

Connacht have been, and continue to be, the story of the Irish rugby season and perhaps even the European club season. They are the Leicester City of the Guinness Pro12 and as with the English Premier League, Connacht's success could have seismic repercussions for 'bigger' rivals.

Friday night's bonus point win away to Edinburgh in Murrayfield extended their lead over second-placed Leinster, who admittedly have a game in hand, to two points. Connacht are also currently six points ahead of third placed Scarlets and thus holding onto a potential home semi-final, but more pertinently they are eight points ahead of Ulster and, even more importantly, a dozen points clear of fifth-placed Munster, who also have a game in hand.

Connacht are thus not only on course for a place in the play-offs for the first time ever, but also direct qualification for the European Champions Cup next season. Seven teams qualify for the Champions Cup automatically from the Pro12, with the proviso that all four participating countries have to be guaranteed one place. Thus, if the four Irish provinces filled the top four play-off places, all would qualify automatically for next season’s European Champions Cup, and likewise if they filled four of the top five places.

If the fourth best Irish team finished in sixth place, they would qualify provided the five teams above them consisted of one Welsh and one Scottish side. An Irish team finishing sixth would not qualify for the Champions Cup if the top five consisted of the three other Irish teams along with two Welsh or two Scottish teams, as then either the best placed Welsh or best placed Scottish side below them would be amongst the seven qualifiers along with one of the Italian teams. There will be no play-off this season due to the fixture congestion caused by the World Cup. In addition to the top six from the Top 14 and Premiership, the winners of the Challenge Cup would fill the 20th place in the Champions Cup. If that team has already qualified, their place would be taken by the next best placed team from that League, not their country.

Connacht do have a tough run-in, and their next three games are against Leinster (home), Ulster (away) and Munster (home), before Treviso away and then reigning champions Glasgow at home.

Yet Connacht have made the Sportsground into the kind of ‘fortress’ which both Pat Lam, his predecessor Eric Elwood and the players have set as a target ever since the advent of the Clan Terrace helped to transform the Sportsground into a properly atmospheric ground.

Thus far this season, Connacht have won seven out of eight Pro12 games at their Galway base, while Friday night’s win in Murrayfield followed a fully merited first win at Thomond Park in 29 years and a first win at the Liberty Stadium, as well as victories away to the Dragons and Zebre.

Friday’s win also highlighted the brand of rugby Connacht are now playing under Lam. They have scored the most points, 420, the most tries, 49 and recorded the most try-scoring bonus points.

True, their tally of 38 tries conceded is the most porous than all bar the bottom three of the Dragons, Zebre and Treviso. Their attitude seems to be whatever number of tries you score, we’ll score more.

And so it came to pass at Murrayfield that Edinburgh scored three tries and Connacht ran in four. It was a little unusual to see an Irish side, actually convert set-pieces into tries, as Connacht did off two scrums and a line-out in the opposition 22. Their fourth came from patiently if incisively going through the phases off a counter-attack from inside their own half.

In their third season under Lam, Connacht looked what they are _ a very well coached side.

No matter their injury toll or international call-ups, Lam’s policy of bringing their Academy players in to the full-time set-up and including their extended squad in their training sessions has meant changes in personnel have become increasingly seamless.

Ditto when forwards interchange with backs. It was striking to watch Connacht pass the ball across the line from left to right or right to left without any inside shoulder passes to check runners, the receivers taking the ball in front of them and coming onto it in straight lines. They have a confidence in their ability to score tries which is palpable. In addition to Ultan Dillane and Robbie Henshaw, the likes of James Connolly and Sean O'Brien have been further finds from their academy under-age set-up. They have delved cleverly into other provinces for relatively unwanted players who have the hunger to match's Connacht collective desire. Like the prolific Matt Healy on the wing, out-half AJ MacGinty has been a real find, playing 80 minutes for the fifth game running in the absence of the injured Jack Carty. And the improvements in John Muldoon's skills' set show that an old dog of war can always learn new tricks.

Against Edinburgh they kicked out of hand only 12 times, making 183 passes and a dozen line-breaks. There is some offloading to go with the excellent clearing out. This is potent, well-drilled, ball-in-hand running rugby.

Prioritising “the process” has reaped a dividend. Lam and his assistant coaches Andre Bell, Dave Ellis and Conor McPhillips clearly keep sessions interesting. The players have also seen the rewards.

Lam’s timing was good. Not alone did he benefit from the first shoots of the recovery under Eric Elwood, but also the decision about four years ago by the IRFU’s Management Committee, chaired by Finbarr Crowley, to put Connacht on more of an equal financial footing with their fellow provinces.

Their budget has risen from roughly €4 million to €6 million, and with Willie Ruane a highly regarded CEO and the Professional Games’ Board in place, Connacht have become more self-financing. With the conveyor belt from Nigel Carolan’s academy, Connacht look like the real deal.

To put their achievements so far this season into perspective, in the previous five seasons under Elwood and Lam, Connacht have finished ninth, eighth, eighth, tenth and seventh.

Across the three major leagues in the southern hemisphere, there has been no story quite like it for years. And upwardly mobile Connacht have a few more peaks to scale yet.