Connacht looking to new era on and off the pitch

Last year took off with a bang for Connacht, but finished with a dull thud.

After a brilliant end to the 2022/23 season where the province reached the semi-finals of the BKT United Rugby Championship and secured qualification for the Champions Cup, their most recent campaign saw some frustrating regression.

Andy Friend was always going to be a tough act to follow, but even though there had been a succession plan in place for a couple of seasons to develop Pete Wilkins, the current boss has admitted to learning some valuable lessons in his first season in charge.

It's also worth noting that it’s the second year for this coaching team as a whole. When Friend left in 2023, so too did the highly regarded forwards coach Dewald Senekal, who moved to Oyonnax, and attack coach Mossy Lawler, who is now at Munster. The hope this season is that things are more stable, with John Muldoon and Scott Fardy being in their second year with this group.

Three wins from three to start the season marked a perfect opening, particularly with one of those coming away in South Africa, but as the season progressed they struggled with the demands of competing on two fronts.

The frustration came from how they let multiple late leads slip. Interpros against Leinster and Ulster were there to be won before Christmas, while a late defeat away to Benetton in March was also damaging, and ultimately their season fizzled out.

CONNACHT PLAYER PROFILES

It feels like a new era is starting at the province though. The Dexcom Stadium is currently a building site as they get to work on their €40m redeployment, while several experienced campaigners have moved on over the summer, as Wilkins looks to hand more responsibility over to the younger generation, led by Cian