'There's a huge amount of excitement': foundations in place for Connacht to improve

Stuart Lancaster has instilled a belief within his squad that they are better than the results they produced in 2024-25.

Kildare's Jordan Duggan and Cian Prendergast at Connacht traing. Photo: ©INPHO/James Crombie

If building a successful rugby team is like completing a jigsaw, as Stuart Lancaster alluded to earlier this week, then his new outfit at Connacht is at least starting with all the correct pieces.

With the redevelopment of Dexcom Stadium nearing completion with the finishing touches being put on the new 7,000-capacity main stand which replaced the ramshackle but atmospheric Clan Terrace, and a state of the art High Performance Centre no up and running behind it, the westerners have the foundations - let’s call them the edges of the puzzle to stretch Lancaster’s analogy a little further – on which to rebuild a team that underperformed so alarmingly last season.

What’s more, Connacht’s new head coach believes the players he has inherited are already part of the solution and capable of much better than the 13th place finish they slipped to in the URC table last May.

Yet it could be that Lancaster himself is the final, crucial piece that has been missing from that puzzle as Connacht begin the 2025-26 campaign on Saturday night at home to Benetton.

He has brought Brumbies attack coach Rod Sieb from Australia to Galway to join his project and former Harlequins director of rugby Billy Millard, a former Connacht assistant coach, has come back to the west of Ireland as General Manager of Performance and scrum-half Caolin Blade believes the province he has served for 13 years now has the proper platform from which to rescale the heights which delivered an unexpected league title against the odds in 2016.

“One hundred per cent,” Blade said this week, “and that comes with pressure because there's no excuses now.

“There's been a huge amount of excitement since Stu and Rod have come in and brought a different aspect into it, a wealth of experience. I think it's been the same group of players from last year but the excitement there, we've had a really good pre-season. So I'm really looking forward to the season ahead.”

If nothing else, Lancaster has instilled a belief within his squad that they are better than the results they produced in 2024-25. Connacht supplied Bundee Aki, Finlay Bealham and Mack Hansen to the British & Irish Lions tour of Australia this past summer and a further six players to the Ireland squad which dispatched Georgia and Portugal in quick succession in Tbilisi and Lisbon and with a few well-chosen words on his arrival for pre-season, the former England boss, Leinster senior coach and Racing 92 head coach further boosted squad self-esteem.

It certainly made an impact with No.8 Sean Jansen, capped last season for Ireland A against their English counterparts.

“I felt like we had the players, and talent, to go well, last season but we were 13th. We had our presentations from Stu and it was like - we had good attack stats, lineouts, this and that but we finished 13th, and why was that?

“We didn't have to bring anyone in. We had the talent in. Stu is just putting us together and I feel like we're clicking really well. I just can't wait for this weekend, and for us to go out and show everyone what we are - we're a top four team and we've the ability to be a top four team.

“I definitely believe (that), for sure. That's the thing. We've got three Lions, how many boys were away with Ireland, how many boys were with Ireland 'A' (seven, in February)? We have Joah Ioane, an All Blacks 10.

“We've got so much talent, and it is not just the 15 on the field. We've got 30, 40 players. The academy lads coming up - young Seán Naughton and Dan (Ryan). We've so much talent. We just need to all be on the same track. I'm really looking forward to this weekend and the boys are game.”

That Connacht players are looking forward to the new season with relish due to the new broom sweeping through the organisation is a credit to Lancaster but though the Yorkshireman is confident his side can make a fast start to this URC campaign, he is hoping for ongoing improvement over the coming weeks and months.

"I think there's good character and, putting all that jigsaw together, means that physically we're in good shape, technically and tactically we've made improvements and mentally I think we're growing the leadership piece,” Lancaster said.

"It reminds me a little bit of my first time at Leinster in some ways when you see Caelan Doris now, when you see James Ryan, Gary Ringrose, Josh van der Flier and Robbie Henshaw, these guys who were quite introverted, quite shy, very quiet in meetings - they wouldn't express themselves, couldn't express themselves verbally, couldn't hold the room.

"That changed, obviously, during seven years and there's some guys like that (at Connacht) who just need an injection of self-confidence, self-belief, assertiveness, some leadership direction and so when the tough times come you've got leaders on the field who can stand and go toe to toe and not be intimidated or be psychologically play the underdog card.

"We can stand toe to toe against the other three provinces but also against the big dogs in the league.”

A talented Benetton side provide the first examination of those claims as Connacht begin their new chapter with a limited capacity crowd at Dexcom Stadium, but if the belief coursing through Lancaster’s side on the eve of the season is matched by the on-field performance on Saturday, then the westerners will be in very good shape for the campaign ahead.

CONNACHT: S Naughton; C Mullins, B Ralston, C Forde, S Bolton; J Ioane, C Blade; P Dooley, D Tierney-Martin, S Illo; N Murray, J Murphy; P Boyle - captain, S Hurley-Langton, S Jansen.

Replacements: D Heffernan, J Duggan, F Barrett, D O’Connor, J Joyce, B Murphy, J Carty, C Prendergast.

BENETTON: M Gallagher; L Lynagh, T Menoncello, M Fekitoa, O Ratave; J Umaga, L Werchon; I Nemer, S Maile, S Ferrari; N Cannone, E Snyman; S Negri, M Lamaro - captain, S Fa’aso’o.

Replacements: R Asiata, M Spagnolo, T Pasquali, R Favretto, L Cannone, A Garbisi, G Avaca, P Odogwu.

Referee: Chris Allison (South Africa).