Pat Lam finding his stride as he raises standards in west

Pat Lam arrived in Galway last year with a coaching reputation that needed mending. He was a player of some renown, helping Northampton to the 2000 Heineken Cup at Munster’s expense and featuring at two World Cups for Samoa, but his time as Auckland Blues coach didn’t work out so well.

That’s a massive job in New Zealand, perhaps the most demanding outside the All Blacks gig. Point being, shifting from the Blues to Connacht is more snakes than ladders but Lam can rightly note a few rungs have already been scaled.

“It has been Connacht’s best start ever: highest position in the Pro 12; one from one [Leinster] in the interpros and we were zero from six last year; five guys selected in the nationals squad – highest ever for Connacht; only two losses in the Pro 12 and they were to the two top teams away from home; and we have protected The Sportsground so far in all competitions.

“So we are still alive!”

Still, theirs remains a fickle existence. They have to protect the ground again this Saturday, against the Scarlets, to keep hunting richer cousins Leinster (24) and Munster (28).

Eight points separate Ospreys in first place (on 30 points like Ulster) with seventh-placed Scarlets. Connacht lie sixth on 23 points after five wins and a draw. But now comes the union of Lam’s mass Kiwi influx – minus injured duo Nathan White and Jake Heenan – and the local rising youth.

The Mils Muliaina, Bundee Aki, Darragh Leader, Robbie Henshaw, Dave McSharry conundrum comes next.

When Sonny Bill Williams returned to Rugby League in 2012, Aki replaced him in the Chiefs midfield, at second-five-eighth, yet Lam played him at 13, outside McSharry, in last weekend’s fleecing of Zebre.

“We’ve got the smallest squad depth of all the Pro 12 teams. One thing that is vital in this long competition is squad depth. We have to rely very heavily on the young guys. Our playing budget as well. You get injuries which really hit us.

“The key focus is to make sure our systems are world-class because we are fast-tracking guys, guys are getting opportunities from the academy.”

Interesting take

Because of the way Connacht must be, Lam has an interesting take on the development of Henshaw and Kieran Marmion.

“Look at Robbie and Kieran, look at how young they are, but remember they have now played three seasons of week-in-week-out rugby.

“There are not like other 21-year-olds who are playing occasionally for their club, maybe played four or five games off the bench. These guys nearly have 70 caps for Connacht. Now Robbie is building his internationals caps, and with that comes experience.”

All true, but the question still stands: how does Lam intend to blend those he recruited with the home-grown talent?

“Now we got guys who can play in a number of positions. Robbie is an outside centre who can play inside or fullback. Darragh Leader is a fullback who can play both centre, wing, inside centre and stand-off at a pinch. You got Bundee Aki who is an inside centre who can play outside centre. Mils Muliaina, who is a fullback, who can play centre. So we have versatility.

“We look at each team and decide how best to win a game and select accordingly.”

Western weather dictates the style of play most weekends. No rain expected Saturday so perhaps we’ll see the unfurling of a style similar to the Chiefs (2012 and 2013 Super rugby champions), whose free-wheeling offence at one time included Aki and Muliaina. “The main priority is to do whatever we need to do to win a game,” says Lam.

“Thing about a long season is you are going to face the blasting days, you are going to have a cold days, hot days. There are so many different factors.

“We want to make sure we are comfortable playing whatever style wins the game. Be that kicking, going through the middle of a team, if we have to maul we can. If we have to use our skills we can.

“That’s why we have the coaching structures that we have – like bringing in Dave Ellis to work on skills. It’s all about improving the skills.

Pass right, pass left

“Why are Connacht in the top six of the Pro 12? Because we are playing as a team. The players are working incredibly hard on the individuals skills so players can pass right, pass left, make decisions under pressure, offload, clean out. That means we can do a lot more as a team.

“I don’t want to be known as a team that mauls; I want to be known as a skilful, clever team who can do enough to win games.”

That’s clearly evident thus far.