Connacht drawing on experience of last season ahead of Belfast trip

INTERPRO: Ulster Head Coach Richie Murphy and Connacht Head Coach Pete Wilkins have rung the changes for their interpro clash Saturday at Kingspan Stadium.

Connacht head coach Pete Wilkins reckons they have learned enough from last season to ensure a bright start to the campaign doesn’t fall away this time round.

Last season was Wilkins’ first season in charge after six years as an assistant coach at the Sportsground and they made a dream start to his reign with victories over Ospreys, Glasgow Warriors and Ulster.

All three wins were at home but the wheels came off a week later in Edinburgh when a late drop goal from Ben Healy snatched victory at the death.

That started a run that saw them lose six of their next seven games in the URC and Europe before eventually getting back on track with a home win over Munster on New Year’s Day.

This season, Connacht have won two of their opening three games at home to the Sharks and away to Scarlets and also picked up two bonus points in the opening round loss away to Munster, scoring 13 tries in the process.

"For me, it’s the bigger learning of what the difference has been for us across the first three games of the season, compared to us across the majority of last season,” said Wilkins.

"The similarity is we’ve got off to a decent start, but I think we won’t draw on the one game as much.

"It’s about what are we seeing rugby-wise, what are we seeing spirit-wise and identity-wise and what has brought us these points in rounds one, two and three.

"Last season is there as a tiny reminder that we were pretty dissatisfied with a few of our performances and not that long ago that we got off to a decent start and then faded out as the season went so feet are firmly on the ground here."

But he knows they face a searching test in Belfast against an Ulster side badly in need of a win after a gruelling trip to South Africa.

It’s a tie which historically, particularly back in the amateur days, which went in Ulster’s favour but Connacht, having gone 58 years without winning in Ravenhill, have now won on three of their last eight visits to east Belfast.

That said, the overall league record between the sides is 31 wins for Ulster, 12 for Connacht and there has been one draw.