Elwood sweats over Connacht’s walking wounded
Eric Elwood’s team face a visit to Twickenham’s Stoop to face a team coached by his good friend Conor O’Shea. Quins have yet to taste defeat this season and stand at the top of the English Premiership as a consequence.
Yet the Westerners will definitely be without O’Connor, who was last night ruled out for a month, and will be sweating on the availability of several other players after a bruising defeat by Ulster at Ravenhill last Saturday.
O’Connor, who will also miss Connacht’s home Heineken Cup debut against four-time champions Toulouse on November 18, has been ruled out with a calf injury suffered in the warm-up before last week’s RaboDirect Pro12 home game against Cardiff Blues and Elwood also assessed the fallout from the 22-3 defeat in Belfast at the weekend.
“Johnny won’t be available for four weeks, unfortunately,” Elwood said. “We’ve a few injury concerns. Some guys were able to train today but it was limited — Henry (Fa’afili), Eoin Griffin, Paul O’Donohoe. Frank (Murphy) didn’t train today at all. He had to get a bit of physio on his groin.
“Prop Rodney Ah You also has an issue, he got a knock on his shoulder so he wasn’t able to train. He came off with no strength or power in his shoulder. Thomas (TJ) Anderson was limited in what he was able to do today and Michael Swift got a knock on his knee so he was kept under wraps and didn’t train today.
“He’s got a bit of ligament damage in his knee. We’re hopeful but every day, every minute, every hour counts. He couldn’t train today, the next big training session is Wednesday and we’ll assess Swifty then.”
Harlequins may be familiar foes for Connacht having faced them numerous times in the Amlin Challenge Cup, including home and away last season, but Elwood said this weekend’s encounter with O’Shea’s side — winners of last year’s Amlin — would represent a considerable step up.
“We know each other very well and Conor is a good friend of mine. I’ve actually spoken to him on a couple of occasions in the last week or so.
“We have a history with them in the Amlin, actually had a couple of good games against them home and away in the last couple of years and by their own admission they know that they were in games when we played them.
“I know the goalposts have moved in the sense that they’re doing very well this year, they’re undefeated and they’re a good side.
“It’s our maiden voyage into the Heineken Cup but everyone wants to play in these games, everyone wants to be a part of it, be they management, players or fans and we’re all looking forward to it. It’s a break, it’s a nice distraction from the Rabo and we’re looking forward to embracing it.
“We’re going to go over there and certainly we’ll be prepared. It’s one of those things, if you can’t get up for Heineken Cup rugby, then you’re in the wrong business, and I know from speaking to all the boys, everybody’s excited about and looking forward to it.”
Meanwhile, Connacht have signed former Leinster and Blackrock College centre Kyle Tonetti until the end of the season from Sale Sharks.
The South African-born centre won a Six Nations U20 grand slam in 2007 when Elwood and his assistant Dan McFarland were in charge of Ireland.
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