Results need to turn soon for Connacht

For those who have followed Connacht over the years, 2026 will probably have been earmarked as the start of a new era from a distance out.

The erection of a new stand at the Dexcom Stadium in Galway is a significant step forward and it will open for the first time at the end of this month when Leinster come to town.

The highly impressive work carried out – which also includes a new High Performance training facility for the players and an indoor function room that will open up a new income stream – is set to give new life to the ground formerly known as the Sportsground.

The improved facilities will give Connacht an even greater ability to build on the fine work undertaken by the province since the grim days of the early noughties, when the very existence of a professional rugby outfit in our region was under serious threat.

The appointment of Stuart Lancaster as head coach before the new season raised plenty of eyebrows elsewhere, but the capture of such a highly-rated coach was the perfect fillip for fans of Connacht to get excited about what was to come on the field in the coming seasons, particularly after a frustrating few years. However, it hasn’t been straightforward for Lancaster on his arrival, certainly from a results point of view.

It was never going to be thus and one must remember that, for all of Lancaster’s undoubted ability, he was still taking over a squad that finished 13th out of 16 teams in last season’s URC, with a points differential of minus 52.

Speaking to the Irish Independent back in September as the new season got underway, Lancaster discussed what his immediate targets were in terms of developing the Connacht squad.

“Physically, we’re in good shape, technically and tactically we’ve made improvements and mentally, we’re growing the leadership piece.

“There are some guys at Connacht who just need an injection of self-confidence, 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 playing the underdog card.

“There’s no reason why it can’t happen quickly, I think you can change the mindset of a team.” 

Quick fixes are possible, with Ulster a case in point (they actually finished below Connacht in 14th in the URC last term, but this season Richie Murphy’s side currently sit third in the league standings after their first eight games).

Connacht’s rise under Lancaster has been more of a slow burner.

There have been flashes of real positivity. Josh Ioane looks a real prospect and, in that defeat to Ulster in late December, he injected real life into the Connacht attack when introduced. Indeed, the Ulster game summed up much of what leaves so many of those who follow Connacht frustrated.

The hosts had plenty of field territory and ball possession in attacking areas in the opening half, but were missing that real ruthless streak to take full advantage. Yet, with the game seemingly gone from their grasp in the second period, Connacht roared back into contention and very nearly snatched it before a late Ulster penalty eventually confirmed a 29-24 victory.

It’s that sense of inconsistency that has plagued Connacht. Their away defeat to Ospreys in the Challenge Cup, when they slumped to a 24-21 defeat having led 21-0 after the opening 25 minutes, was another case in point.

“Amazingly frustrating” was how Bernard Jackman described Connacht’s recent run on a recent RTÉ Rugby Podcast and it’s hard to disagree. And, if it’s frustrating watching from the outside, it must be doubly difficult for the players and coaches.

That said, for all of Connacht’s struggles of late, there is no doubt about their heart and desire. It has been in evidence in several challenging situations, where they’ve been able to resurrect themselves having been well behind. Even in defeat they showed it against the likes of Ulster and the Dragons, though the latter featured a very poor display before the late rally.

Ultimately, Connacht need to find a way to play better for longer periods.

Take last weekend’s defeat to Leinster as an example. 14-nil behind, Connacht again showed their ability and heart to fight back to actually take the lead briefly before half-time with 17 points on the spin, including two tries.

Competing well in all sectors, they were well in the game and just needed to get to half-time with their 17-14 lead intact to have something tangible to take into the second half. Yet, Leinster found a way through to score a try in those four minutes before half-time and leave Connacht much less optimistic heading down the tunnel than they might have been had they held on. The second-half was one-way traffic, with the hosts piling on 33 points to win comfortably. Connacht failed to score.

Leinster won’t be the team Connacht will have to measure themselves against this season, though. A top-eight URC finish still remains within Connacht’s grasp (they’re currently in 12th but just four points off eighth) as does a deep run in the Challenge Cup where Ulster look to be the strongest side.

In the bowels of the Aviva Stadium last Saturday evening, Lancaster conceded that it was a ‘painful’ defeat, but he also took a pragmatic view.

“You can't wave a magic wand and take a team from here to here,” he said, when it came to improving the province’s fortunes, “without the correct fundamentals within training and, if I go back to my time at Leinster, that's what we did. We worked hard and we made mistakes and we trained under pressure.

“So that's what I'll do. I'll just double down on training with intensity under pressure and making sure the skill set holds under pressure.” 

The coming weeks will be pivotal to how the season pans out. Over the next two weekends, the Challenge Cup returns with an away match against Montpellier this weekend followed by the visit of Montabaun to Galway the following week. Then, it’s that big game versus Leinster at home.

Three wins in ten matches so far this season doesn’t suggest Connacht are a team in good form – but there has been enough good stuff in there to suggest they can make a positive start to 2026 both on, and off, the field.