Duffy’s dream to leave Euro legacy
Over the years, fighting a rearguard action, Connacht have faced the superior foe, squared up to them and in a number of memorable cases, beaten them.
Connacht skipper Gavin Duffy is delighted his native province gets a first crack at Heineken Cup; he wants to be part of leaving a European legacy.
Connacht might never win a trophy — though many said that about Munster too — but Duffy believes it’s important to leave a mark a little deeper than the stamp their boots made on the ground at the Stoop in west London last week. Harlequins, the runaway leaders of the English Premiership, are still coming to terms at the audacity shown by the visitors from Ireland. Some neutral observers are still wondering how Connacht lost that game; maybe they didn’t believe enough, which would be quite an appropriate reaction for a team making their debut in what is arguably the top club competition in the world.
Duffy is from Ballina, an area of the country which is not exactly a hotbed of rugby in relation to many places in Europe. Still, things are looking up in the west and the skipper is helping spread the gospel that young kids are the future.
Indeed, he looks back to his own childhood to highlight his interest in the game. He watched Connacht play the All Blacks in 1989 and dreamt of filling a green (both Connacht and Ireland) jersey one day.
“That was what sparked an interest for me,” he said.
“It keeps happening in stages, you go from one big match to another. Hopefully, there will be children who will come on Saturday and want to keep coming back and to learn how to play and go on to play for Connacht.
“That’s what a legacy is all about. We have been watching for the past 15 or 16 years all those other teams playing in the Heineken Cup, and wanting to be part of it.”
There have been days in Galway and beyond when players were obviously frustrated by lack of interest in their efforts. There is no doubt Connacht rugby supporters are as vociferous and committed as any. It’s just there haven’t been enough of them.
But tomorrow, Duffy and company will feel they’re part of the bigger picture, and with a guaranteed attendance of 9,000.
Not too many grounds around Europe will be more packed. It will be the biggest crowd ever at a rugby match in Connacht and Duffy admitted: “We have spoken about it as a squad. Toulouse [in club terms] will be the biggest team we can play, and we have talked about leaving our own legacy.
“Of course it is a daunting task. They have such quality and versatility. But we showed against Harlequins last weekend that we can step up to the mark and that is what we need to do [again] this week.”
Hooker Adrian Flavin will know exactly what needs to be done, having spent five seasons in European action with London Irish. He was involved in the double header against the French side that ended with a win and a defeat, and just a couple of points advantage separating the teams at the end of the two matches.
However, Flavin warned: “Toulouse are a huge team and you only have to look at their squad to see how big a club they are. They could leave 23 internationals at home and still bring nearly 23 internationals to Galway.”
Flavin, now in his sixth season at the Sportsgrounds said Connacht must treat the former champions same as any, however, and intends to do so.
“We feel we can beat anyone here. Since I came here we have been talking about getting into the Heineken Cup. Having reached it, we can’t just be passengers. We need to show people what we are about.”
TAKING Connacht’s history into account, the visit of European rugby aristocrats Toulouse to Galway tomorrow will be huge.
In terms of Connacht rugby, it is the biggest game in their history, given it is in the competitive environment of the Heineken Cup, and their first appearance in that competition to boot.
But if Connacht rugby has struggled, the province has won recognition from southern hemisphere teams New Zealand, Australia and South Africa, all of whom have visited Galway in the past.
They have also welcomed, through their involvement in the secondary European competition, several top-class French, English and Welsh clubs who had also been unable to qualify for the Heineken Cup in any particular season.
But Galway has also hosted other big European nights in other codes. In 1986, FC Groningen visited the county to play Galway United in a UEFA Cup game.
The Dutch team, with some international players of note in their ranks, ended up playing on a windswept community pitch in An Cheathrú Rua without facilities such as grandstands or floodlights.
In the new modern era for Connacht, all such facilities will be provided and there will be a record crowd of 9,000 to boot.
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