ON RUGBY:Replacements can provide fresh impetus or change the course of a match

SUCCESS IN this weekend’s Heineken Cup semi-finals will not be delivered solely by the respective teams that start the matches, but rather the impact of the bench. The warm weather and hard grounds of the south of France and northern Spain will exact a toll physically and the shortfall in terms of energy resources will be made up by replacing players with no diminution in quality or application.

The power of the bench is likely to have a huge bearing on the overall results. The initial benefits are obvious in terms of replacing players who are fatigued, but it also allows the coach to demand his players give every last ounce of energy without any consideration of whether they might finish the game.

Replacements can provide fresh impetus or change the course of a match. They should be an important consideration in terms of the overall game strategy. A team gains confidence from a strong bench, knowing there are players who can either sustain the momentum or potentially provide a game changing moment. Toulouse offers a classic example to endorse this argument.

At this stage of a long season the bench is arguably more important. Strong squads win trophies. We have a philosophy at London Irish with regard, to say, replacing our frontrow during matches. Leinster and Munster are going to have to use a proactive philosophy in terms of the way they use replacements. They’ll need to value and utilise numbers 16-23 in Toulouse and San Sebastian.

But it is another European semi-final that I’m going to dwell on and that’s Connacht’s clash with Toulon in the Amlin Challenge Cup. The western province has made huge strides, galvanised partially by the IRFU review. The decision to hand out one-year contracts demanded huge loyalty from the players and appears to have engendered a tremendous spirit within the squad and management.

Irish rugby has long been seen as three provinces, plus one but Connacht want to be considered the fourth province with a commensurate standing in playing terms. Their performances this season reflect that commitment. They have enjoyed a superb campaign in Europe to date and have conceded fewest points in the competition and scored more than any other side, with the exception on Friday night’s visitors to Galway, Toulon.

The Sportsground is set to be transformed for this encounter with the Connacht Branch looking to erect temporary viewing structures that will accommodate a crowd of about 8,000. There is a great buzz within the squad and that is set to be reflected in supporters travelling from all four corners of the province for this match. It’s very important that they do because the players and management deserve that support.

If you examine the impact of players like Seán Cronin, Fionn Carr, Ian Keatley, Frank Murphy and the role Connacht played in their development, it underlines that the province plays an import part in Irish rugby. Playing alongside locals like Gavin Duffy and John Muldoon, the squad has come together very effectively as a tight-knit bunch.

Some people like to question the number of foreign players but few will quibble with the contributions of George Naoupu, Troy Nathan, Niva Ta’auso amongst others: South African Brett Wilkinson is now a member of the extended Ireland squad, while others like Mike McCarthy and the “veteran” Mike Swift have became an essential part of the soul of the team, on and off the pitch.

The essence of any happy camp is rooted in humour: Cronin, Keatley and Carr, who live together in Oranmore, are collectively dubbed the “playboys of the west”. The team bond is illustrated in awards like players’ player of the match, defender of the match and others of that ilk. These players have been through some tough times but refused to buckle. They have shown loyalty to one another and also to the province and I would love to see that rewarded. They have only been beaten twice at home this season – by Ulster and Munster – and certainly won’t be cowed by what is a very tough assignment against Toulon. If Connacht people can not come and support this group of players then they never will and that would be a travesty. They have earned their position at this stage of the season by dint of hard work in circumstances a great deal less favourable than other teams would enjoy.

It would be brilliant to see that ethic rewarded on the pitch. I’m delighted for people like Gerry Kelly (chief executive of the Connacht Branch), who I first came across when playing for the Irish Schools and others like him who have contributed so much to the sport in the province. Friday night is a wonderful opportunity for the players to prove that they can do more than compete against the expensively assembled visitors: in essence what they have been doing for most of the season in their Galway citadel.