Last year took off with a bang for Connacht, but finished with a dull thud.
After a brilliant end to the 2022/23 season where the province reached the semi-finals of the BKT United Rugby Championship and secured qualification for the Champions Cup, their most recent campaign saw some frustrating regression.
Andy Friend was always going to be a tough act to follow, but even though there had been a succession plan in place for a couple of seasons to develop Pete Wilkins, the current boss has admitted to learning some valuable lessons in his first season in charge.
It's also worth noting that it’s the second year for this coaching team as a whole. When Friend left in 2023, so too did the highly regarded forwards coach Dewald Senekal, who moved to Oyonnax, and attack coach Mossy Lawler, who is now at Munster. The hope this season is that things are more stable, with John Muldoon and Scott Fardy being in their second year with this group.
Three wins from three to start the season marked a perfect opening, particularly with one of those coming away in South Africa, but as the season progressed they struggled with the demands of competing on two fronts.
The frustration came from how they let multiple late leads slip. Interpros against Leinster and Ulster were there to be won before Christmas, while a late defeat away to Benetton in March was also damaging, and ultimately their season fizzled out.
CONNACHT PLAYER PROFILES
It feels like a new era is starting at the province though. The Dexcom Stadium is currently a building site as they get to work on their €40m redeployment, while several experienced campaigners have moved on over the summer, as Wilkins looks to hand more responsibility over to the younger generation, led by Cian Prendergast.
Whether this new era is successful or not remains to be seen. Experience is light in the squad of players at Wilkins’ disposal this season, with just six of his squad having more than 100 appearances for the province, while only three others (Paul Boyle, John Porch and Conor Oliver) have played 75 or more games in green.
Playing Challenge Cup rugby might lighten the load on their squad though, and provide Wilkins with an opportunity to rotate his team and focus more on the URC, just as they were able to do in 2022/23.
Wins against Sale Sharks and Glasgow Warriors in pre-season show they're looking to hit the ground hard to start the season, but with a tough run of fixtures to get under way against Munster, Sharks, Scarlets, Ulster and Leinster, this season needs to be a marathon, not a sprint.
Last season: Started with three wins from three games but faded badly in the final third of the season, finishing 11th in the table, and five points back from the play-offs. Finished fifth in their Investec Champions Cup pool, with one win from four.
Total titles: 1 (2016)
Head coach: Pete Wilkins (second season as head coach)
Pete Wilkins: "There was still a feeling that we didn't give the best version of ourselves [last season].
"As a leader you can demand all sorts of different things from your team and build a team in whatever image you like but ultimately unless you spend that time trying to understand yourself and the spirit with which you want to operate and the spirit you want the team to play with, you are not building something on very firm foundations.
"Now I just can't wait to get going."
Key Player: While Bundee Aki is arguably coming off the best season of his career, his status as an Ireland regular means the province have become used to managing his minutes across a campaign, and Cathal Forde's emergence has also given them some security in midfield.
When Mack Hansen (above) spent the second half of last season out injured, his absence stuck out like a fire in the night. The Ireland international has shown in his first three seasons that he offers the province something different. He’s constantly popping up infield with clever running lines, he offers an excellent kicking game, is a world class broken-field runner, and is a far better defender than he gets credit for.
While he hasn't played competitively since January, Hansen did return in pre-season and will be available for the opening weekend of the season, and after missing out on Ireland’s summer tour to South Africa, Connacht will likely have access to him more than they did in the last two seasons.
Interestingly, the 26-year-old is heading into a contract year, which is something Wilkins will be hoping to resolve as soon as possible.
One to watch: While scrum-half Matthew Devine is coming in as a close second, it's very hard to look past Hugh Gavin (above) as the player to be most excited about at Connacht this season.
The centre was one of the standout players in an extremely successful Ireland U20 side across the last two seasons, playing all 20 of their competitive games in that period. Still just 20 years old, Gavin is a powerful man at 6ft 4in and just below 100kg, and the fact that he’s been promoted to a senior contract already is a testament to how highly he’s rated.
While he’s yet to make his competitive debut for Connacht, the summer departures of Tom Farrell and Tom Daly, and Aki’s international commitments, means Gavin should see plenty of game time this season.
Players in: The most high-profile arrival this summer is out-half Josh Ioane (above). The one-cap All Black was signed in July as the province scrambled to get cover at 10, following JJ Hanrahan's ACL injury.
Versatile back Piers O’Conor brings plenty of experience to the squad from Bristol, with the Irish-qualified 28-year-old the latest to follow the well-worn path between Connacht and the Bears.
Former Ulster pair Adam McBurney (hooker) and David O’Connor (lock/flanker) return to Ireland from Edinburgh and Ealing Trailfinders respectively, while prop Temi Lasisi and scrum-half Ben Murphy join up after completing their time in Leinster’s academy.
Matthew Devine, Gavin and Chay Mullins all step up from the academy to the senior squad, while one of the most important additions is the return of Josh Murphy, with the lock/flanker rejoining the squad after spending last season on a sabbatical to complete his medical studies.
Players out: It was a summer of significant turnover at Connacht, as the province said goodbye to some vastly experienced players. The most experienced of the bunch, Tiernan O’Halloran (above), retired at the end of last season, ending his 15-year career with his home province in which he played 238 times.
Former captain Jarrad Butler is another experienced campaigner to depart, while second row Gavin Thornbury also finished up his professional career.
Two players have moved south to Munster, wing Diarmuid Kilgallen and centre Tom Farrell, while Tom Daly has joined Stade Nicois in France.
Props Dominic Robertson-McCoy and Matthew Burke, hooker Tadgh McElroy and full-back Oran McNulty have also moved on, while scrum-half Michael McDonald has returned to Ulster following a season-long loan.
Challenge Cup opponents: Zebre Parma (h), USA Perpignan (a), Lyon OU (h), Cardiff (a)
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