Pushing Connacht backs to live on the edge

HEINEKEN CUP POOL SIX:ONE OF the most refreshing aspects of Connacht's Heineken Cup debut last Friday was that they started with a pair of 21-year-old centres, Dave McSharry and Eoin Griffin, and a 19-year-old winger Tiernan O'Halloran.

As carefree as they are quick and talented, the trio contributed to Connacht irreverently having a go away to the unbeaten Premiership leaders Harlequins and Connacht backs coach Billy Millard wants more of the same when Toulouse come calling on Saturday.

As someone who is primed with the task of helping them to fulfil their potential, no one finds that more refreshing than the Australian. There has been a few tears shed over the departure of their main strike runner and best finisher of the last three years Fionn Carr, to Leinster, which Millard describes as a “bizarre decision in my eyes. It’s one thing to put on a Leinster tracksuit but if you’re not playing, you can get lost in the system – and I’ve seen it happen in Australia. In Eric Elwood, you’ve got someone who looks after these kids better than anyone I’ve ever worked with.”

While Millard can “sort of understand” why Ian Keatley opted to understudy Ronan O’Gara at Munster, he looks at Carr playing for Blackrock and Jamie Hagan on the Leinster bench “when they could be playing this stuff” and deduces “sometimes it’s better the devil you know”.

However, this has been offset by the emergence of the aforementioned trio. Encouragingly, in his two years with Cardiff, the Blues enjoyed two home wins in three meetings with Toulouse, though he recalls trying to work them out in advance with the former Toulouse player Gareth Thomas, who said: “Don’t bother. They won’t know themselves until kick-off.” Hence, his young charges won’t be over-encumbered with analysis of the French galacticos.

Interestingly for Millard, this includes a player he worked with extensively at Sydney University, Luke Burgess, who will add an offloading, ninth forward to their mix. And, not alone is there little point in over-analysing Toulouse, there’s little inclination to do so or merit to be gained from it, according to Millard.

At half-time against Harlequins last Friday, Millard revealed, “We said ‘let’s live on the edge; let’s not just play safe’. We’re not going to win anything doing that and develop. You’ve got to go out there with a real attacking mindset and, naturally, in the big games, attitude and physicality won’t be the issue. It’ll be the little two-on-ones, giving an offload when you can, making a good read in defence. Those little things will be crucial.

“That’s what I like about the backline in particular. There’s no nervousness or fear there. They’re just looking forward to it. Dave McSharry didn’t know who most of the Harlequins backs were and I don’t think he cared. He didn’t want to know their stats or where they’d come from, or how many games Nick Evans played for the All Blacks. He just wanted to rip in and I think the same attitude against these guys would be good. You can sit back and look at all their stats and idolise them, but I don’t think there’s going to be much of that going on.”

As a former Ireland Under-19 and Under-20 player, Griffin’s talent has always stood out, notably in a man-of-the-match performance against Samoa last season and given an overdue run without injuries he has finally laid claim to the Connacht number 13 jersey.

Of Griffin, Millard says: “He’s up there with Casey Laulala and (Adam) Ashley-Cooper as guys I’ve worked with before and every week he’s becoming a bit more confident. He’s now becoming a bit of a leader and talking a lot at training. He was exceptional against Harlequins. He works hard, he works a lot on his rehabilitation, he’s getting a lot of confidence and it’s really exciting as a coach to have a kid like that under my wing. With Dave McSharry alongside him it’s just exciting for the region and they’re just going to get better.”

Millard is no shrinking violet or introvert, yet ask him whether Griffin can play for Ireland one day and the answer is swift. “A hundred per cent,” he repeats. “And if he doesn’t, Eric and I haven’t done our job.” This Heineken Cup campaign ought to only benefit more. “If we can keep McSharry and Griffo together you go into next season’s campaign just miles ahead of where we are.”

McSharry was spotted playing for St Mary’s by former Connacht scrumhalf Conor McPhillips, who he was playing with again a couple of weeks ago. “He bided his time, worked hard and got his opportunity against Ulster,” says Millard. “We give out four awards each week and he won all four, so we couldn’t drop him. We threw him out against Harlequins, an experience we thought he might struggle with, and he looked more than comfortable.”

An outhalf himself, Connacht’s new Australian backs coach is an interesting character, bringing an enthusiasm and ambition which emanates from an early introduction to coaching, courtesy of cumulative injuries to his cruciate, medial and lateral ligaments, and shows the scars to prove it, when playing for his club Burnside.

He had significant success coaching Burnside and Sydney University to third-grade and first-grade championships, had five years with the Australians, returned to Sydney “Uni” for two more Premierships in 2005 and 2006, then took the Melbourne Rebels to the Grand Final of the Australian Rugby Championship before joining Cardiff as a backs coach. He’s worked with Luke Burgess, Adam Ashley-Cooper, Drew Mitchell, Digby Ioane and James O’Connor, as well as Leigh Halfpenny (whose progress he most likens to Griffin’s). Having returned home because his father was unwell – thankfully recovered – he pitched up at Connacht.

He likes being back to what he calls roll-your-sleeves-up, old-school coaching with Elwood. “It’s an honest, enjoyable, hard-working culture. It’s a good city. It’s cool.”

He has a two year deal and says he “won’t be doing a runner”, albeit with the rider: “They’ve got to be moving in the right direction, but they are.”

In believing Griffin, McSharry and O’Halloran can all go the whole way, Millard added: “I said to (defensive coach) Mike Forshaw the other night on the bus back from Dublin, ‘we wouldn’t be doing our job if we leave in a year, or two years or three years and if these kids aren’t playing for Ireland. We’ll have stuffed up.’”

However, while it would be nice, eventually, to leave a legacy, he’s clear what’s also required for that to happen. “I haven’t said it on record since I’ve been here but the key is recruitment. If they want to improve they have to get better players in. End of. And to do that, you need money. Simple as that. Throw in three or four world-class players with these younger kids and it’s a totally different story.”

Nyanga looking for an improved performance against Connacht

TOULOUSE CAPTAIN Yannick Nyanga praised his team for the resilience they demonstrated in their narrow home win over Gloucester in the Heineken Cup but also challenged his team-mates to return home with the spoils when they travel to face Connacht at the Sportsground this weekend.

“We should have been able to ‘kill’ the game early and we had several opportunities to do so in the second half (against Gloucester) but it was not until the last 10 minutes that we managed it.

“The fact that Gloucester took a defensive bonus point which can be decisive (in a tight pool) means that we must work very hard and go do something against Connacht.

“Having played there a long time ago, I know (Connacht’s ground) it is a field surrounded by a greyhound track, a small forum. It’s really a rather special environment, and we know already that there will be a very, very warm welcome. It was a short week to prepare for that,” added the France international.