Connacht lay big plans for future

WITH all eyes on World Cup auditions, it was too easy to overlook Connacht’s part last night — as it has been this past 15 years — but the province gave notice of a determination to change that at the Aviva Stadium yesterday afternoon.

The side’s inaugural Heineken Cup campaign this season has already thrown new light on the game in the west of Ireland but the focus of yesterday’s press briefing was to highlight longer-term plans both on and off the field.

As one of the speakers, Damian Devaney, noted: “Irish rugby is no longer about three plus one, it has to be about the four provinces.”

Devaney is a member of the Professional Game Board (PGB) which has established a three-year plan for the province in the hope of building on their introduction to the top-tier of European rugby — though not depending on it.

“The Heineken Cup is a great opportunity for Connacht but it is a catalyst for what we aim to be is sustained growth. This is all about success not survival,” said Simon Heaslip, who is another of the wise men on the newly-formed PGB.

With Eric Elwood coaching the senior side, the hope is that the province can finally begin to gain parity with its three provincial cousins on and off the pitch, central to which is the ground itself.

Construction work on the stands and terraces at the previously ramshackle Sportsground will finally envelop the ground in a more conventional ‘stadium’ style, bringing the covered area from 6% to 40%.

“Heaslip said: “It’s been said that the Sportsground has been an inhospitable place for visitors but it has been for our fans too.”