Heading in the right direction

KEITH DUGGANtalks to the Connacht number 10 as the province prepares for this evening's crucial Challenge Cup clash against Montpellier

IT CAN be dangerous for Connacht supporters to take too much of a shine to any one player: tradition dictates that the brightest and best are often lured away by the bigger clubs. But it did not take Ian Keatley long to convince the local crowd of his true intentions with Connacht.

For all the adventurous runs and astute kicking that distinguish his game, it was his memorably brave, try-saving tackle on the monstrous Rocky Elsom when Leinster visited in autumn 2008 that cemented Keatley’s reputation on the terraces.

He had swapped life in the Leinster squad, where he saw little game time behind both Felipe Contepomi and Jonathan Sexton, for a one-year contract in Galway.

He went up against Sexton that night in what was an intriguing sub-plot featuring two of the most promising outhalves to come out of the capital. And although Sexton’s rugby life would soon take a dazzling turn for the better, it was Keatley who caught the eye at the Sportsground that night.

As befits life with Connacht, the Dubliner has had his ups and downs in the green shirt since then but this week he is just content to play rugby again after three weeks in the Arctic deep freeze.

Although Wednesday was a down day for the squad, Keatley showed up on Prospect Hill for his daily kicking drills. The Sportsground can be a notorious venue for place-kickers, it is very exposed and prone to unreadable breezes but Keatley has grown to love it. He feels like he knows the pitch well now and has been given insider’s knowledge by Eric Elwood.

“I think Eric knows every blade of grass in this place,” he says.

When pressed, Keatley confesses he does not have any memories of those seasons, in the mid 1990s, when Elwood, his mentor, played number 10 for Ireland.

“I’ve seen him on Rugby Gold,” he offers. “And Michael (Bradley) as well. It is funny to see them. It was a different game then. But I suppose they will say the same about us in 10 or 15 years’ time.”

Then, Keatley had only left Belvedere College four years before arriving in Connacht. After representing Ireland at all under-age levels, he saw the chance to play with the province as an opportunity to make an impression in the professional game.

He admits life with the Westerners is one of extremes. Tonight, they will draw a bumper crowd for the visit of Montpellier but on other evenings the Connacht dressingroom can be a desolate place.

“I didn’t know all that much about Connacht before coming here. I have heard about players like Tony Buckley, Jerry Flannery and Paul Warwick coming here. It can get frustrating when you don’t win week in and week out but the experience that I am getting here is incredible. They do say you learn more by losing games and there has been that but I have learned so much from Michael Bradley and Eric.

“The losses are not easy to handle but It is a really good challenge to get up for each match. I am a bad loser, I won’t even talk to anyone after a match. But I will then go back and watch the video and think about it and learn from it and by the time the next match comes up, you can’t wait to be out there again.

“A few more wins would be nice but the way we are playing now, it is my type of rugby and we are going in the right direction. We just need one or two things to click.”

It is a curious season for Connacht. No matter what, it is Bradley’s farewell after seven seasons in charge. A win against Montpellier this evening as they bid to secure a quarter-final place in the Amlin Challenge Cup would set them up for what could be a significant year. Keatley agrees the squad are particularly keen to see Bradley’s term out on a positive note.

“We are doing it for ourselves first of all but we are doing it for Michael too. He is Mr Connacht in many ways: he has brought the province on so much in his time here and he gave a lot of people their first opportunity at this level – including me. Seán Cronin and Fionn Carr too – he gave us this chance to play. We train just as hard as any other province, if not harder, and we just want to show that on the field.

“But we understand too that people look at results and if we are not winning, we can’t ask for any more, even though we play just as hard and get the same knocks and bruises as any other team. But we have to win against Montpellier and if we do, we can start winning other big matches.”