Connacht have a new swagger Connacht's record, signings and fixtures

Gerry Thornley on a team going places Time was when Connacht's best chance of the odd scalp or two was on a howling day in the wild wild west, with the goalposts at the Sprotsground almost horizontal in a gale and some fancy dan visitors who didn't really like getting down and dirty.

But Connacht don't really adhere to that cliché anymore.

While, of course, retaining some of the old values - witness Eric Elwood's masterful kicking display in the wind and rainswept home defeat of Narbonne and the gutsy wins in Cardiff and Newport - last season marked a discernible shift in approach.

Connacht were capable and more than willing to score tries from their own line through seven or eight pairs of hands.

Too willing even for the liking of Steph Nel. "Last season we had 24 trojans who fought with their heart and soul and their lives.

"It's essential that we don't forget that, but then once we've re-established that we've also got to become more controlled, and learn to appreciate the difference between counter-attacking from anywhere and controlled attacking."

Sometimes, Nel says, Connacht were "a bit too space cadetty".

Identifying that need for a more controlled running game, and adopting a philosophy which "is never satisfied with anything less than victory" are his primary aims this season.

These are interesting times in Connacht. More than ever they seem to have been redefined as the official development province in Ireland by the IRFU.

Not alone have Connacht again dipped into the other provinces, Leinster especially, for young talent, more than ever before they've an indigenous crop of players from their interpro-winning under-21s.

Yet, the acquisition of experienced former Wallaby lock Warwick Waugh and ex-Scottish international back-rower Eric Peters is surely a statement of intent.

With them and Marnus Uijs at hooker and Eric Elwood at out-half there's still an experienced spine running through the team.

This wasn't even there last season, when their pack was shorn of its spine by untimely injuries to Uijs, Des Dillon (now departed to Leinster) and the hugely influential Mark McConnell (now coach at Wanderers, where he's been joined by Junior Charlie).

They gamely nearly made it an all-Irish line-up in the Celtic quarter-finals before ultimately their season petered out a little.

While describing last season variously as "a miracle", "fantastic" and "unbelievable" Nel admits that "in the end we only had 18 guys standing.

"I don't want to make excuses, but we rang into trouble and the young guys had to carry the team.

"It is still a young squad, but we've added two or three experienced heads in there. We now have more bulk, more experience and more depth."

Importantly too, Nel (who recently signed a three-year contract with the IRFU to remain in Ireland) has far more professional back-up than he's had previously.

John McKee, a New Zealander who has worked extensively in Australia and who last season was on the coaching staff with Montferrand in France, has joined as an assistant/forwards coach.

Galway journalist John Fallon has taken a year leave of absence from the Connacht Tribune to take over as team manager and the province have, for the first time, appointed a full-time physiotherapist, Brian Downey, as well as retaining Des Ryan and Susan Mitchell as full-time fitness advisors.

Yet, somehow, the powers that be always seem to be conspiring against Connacht and so it is again.

An undoubted drawback to this season's itinerary is that what was the secondary European competition, i.e. the Parker Pen Shield, has now been redevised into a two-tier, knock-out competition.

All 32 competing teams will start off in the first round of the Parker Pen Cup, played over two home and away legs, with the winners progressing to the second round and the losers being relocated into the first round of the Shield.

In effect, this only guarantees Connacht four games in Europe where before they had a minimum of six.

Certainly, their first-round game is winnable, as Mont de Marsan are newly promoted from the second division in France, although, even then, last season's foes, Narbonne, are likely to be waiting in the second round.

Granted, a reprise of last season's two results in the Shield would effectively mean there is nothing between the two, although it is still a tall task for Connacht and it would be a major achievement were they to reach the two-legged quarter-finals in January, most likely against Leeds Tykes or Pontypridd.

Conceivably therefore, although Connacht are guaranteed nine games by the end of October, and then two more in Europe in December, they may only have two interpros to look forward to after the turn of the year. It must be a worry for them and is hardly ideal for Connacht or Irish rugby.

Nor has their Celtic League draw been kind to them, for Cardiff and Newport will be hell bent on revenge for last season's shock home defeats.

Connacht have lost their surprise factor and Nel winces at their fixture list. "If we're still standing in September it'll be an achievement," he laughs.

Nevertheless, while now unofficially termed the development province, Nel and Connacht have too much of a competitive instinct to roll over and have their tummies tickled.

INS: Eric Peters (Rotherham), Warwick Waugh (Beziers), Fabian Boiroux (Montferrand), Shane Moore, Dermot O'Sullivan, Tom Carter (all UCD), Mike Walls (Clontarf), James Norton (St Mary's College), John O'Sullivan (Garryowen).

OUTS: Des Dillon (Leinster), Pat Duighan (returned to Australia), Mark McConnell (retired), Junior Charlie (Wanderers), Tom Kearns, James Ferris (uncontracted).