CHALLENGE CUP/CONNACHT v TOULON: KEITH DUGGANon the positive upturn in the province's chequered fortunes and the efforts of players to spread the word in clubs and schools

THERE MAY have been a time when Irish rugby professionals believed the invitation to come and play for Connacht meant they had reached a crossing point in their sporting lives. It wasn’t quite a “To Hell or . . .” ultimatum but nonetheless, Connacht was regarded as the remote frontier of the Irish game.

That perception has been quietly and steadily challenged over recent seasons. It isn’t simply that players like Jerry Flannery and Bernard Jackman honed their games on wintry nights at the Sportsground and subsequently went on gain European and international honours with Munster and Leinster.

Nor is it to do with the fact players like John Muldoon and Seán Cronin have forced their way into the minds of the international coaching staff through their displays in the green and black. It comes down to the fact that this group of Connacht players clearly see Connacht as much more than a railway station platform to somewhere else.

This year, the side have shown signs of achieving consistency in the Magners League in addition to enjoying their fine march to Friday night’s European Challenge Cup semi-final. But the day Connacht host a Heineken Cup match remains the bigger dream.

Gavin Duffy is one of a growing number of players who chose to leave the English Premiership for the west of Ireland. The Ballina man has been a study in dependability at fullback for Connacht over the past few seasons and during the week he spoke about his vision for the club.

“We are very mindful of leading the way and being good professionals. But ultimately you must win games to keep the interest levels up. You have to have the belief and yeah, of course I see it happening. And if it doesn’t happen this year, then we make it happen this year. That is my attitude to it. We are all in it together. We need the help of the clubs as well.

“We try to get out to the clubs. We are always available for sessions and a few of us are coaching – myself and Michael Swift are coaching the under 21s at Galwegians. John and Keith Matthews are involved with Monivea, so we are always accessible to clubs and schools if they want us to help out. And there is huge support from clubs like Ballina, Barna, An Gaeltacht.

“There is huge work done by volunteers in this province. I grew up looking at Eric Elwood and Noel Mannion and Ciarán Fitzgerald because they are from Connacht. And hopefully youngsters now are looking at us and thinking it is great to be part of a Connacht team that is winning.”

A winning team gets noticed. Michael Bradley smiled wryly when it was pointed out that this weekend, it is Connacht who will play the top-ranked French club in European competition.

“Fair point,” he grinned. “We were going to make that point actually.”

But Toulon is precisely the kind of game that players want. It was the promise of such exposure that persuaded Cronin to give up his place on the Munster squad and get some real rugby time in Galway. He would advise any player scrapping for minutes at another club to do the same.

“Course I would. It is a huge advantage getting game time in the Magners and I would thoroughly recommend it. It worked out hugely well for me. You have to weigh up your options and be realistic and ask yourself some hard questions. That is what I did.”

(Cronin was then asked if he had been approached by other clubs since he moved to Galway.

“I haven’t, no.”

Bradley turned to him and shook his head sadly.

“You keep giving out the wrong number, Sean,” he said. “You never get that part right”).

Galway feels like a rugby town this week. The Toulon match has captured the imagination well beyond the few thousand regulars who show up for Connacht games rain, hail or shine. In a town accustomed to sell-out events, Friday night has become a must see game.

John Muldoon spent a rare weekend off relaxing at home in Portumna. He bumped into a few hurlers; sporting acquaintances from a previous life. Muldoon acknowledged Portumna’s rise to prominence in hurling has been a source of inspiration to him.

“It is a strange one. I was at home during the weekend and I happened to meet up with them. They are very humble people and they have their two All-Irelands but they are annoyed they didn’t get the third. But looking at them, they have worked bloody hard to get there and if you ask Brads what the difference was, we worked bloody hard ourselves. And not just this year either.”

Not that Muldoon feels he missed out on a couple of All-Ireland club medals by opting for rugby.

“I doubt it,” he laughed.

“You never saw me playing hurling. I am not that quick on a rugby pitch so God knows what I would be like on a hurling pitch. But of course you take heart from it. Ten years ago, Portumna had just come out of junior. But they show that the possibility of success is there and it is an inspiring thing.”

The stereotypical image of Connacht – 15 mud-covered men fighting the odds in gale-force winds in the Sportsground – has become dated.

“Were you there for the Bourgoin match?” Cronin asked. “The weather was all right that day.”

That day was sunny and the atmosphere around the ground was of the carnival – until kick-off. Then it was down to business. Everything is geared towards an even bigger spectacle against Toulon. Connacht are intent on producing a night to remember this Friday.

“You can see Toulon’s form the French league,” Cronin observed, “they have a very strong squad but we feel that in our home ground, we can take them here.”