Pete Wilkins: Connacht have faltered against depleted sides

Saturday's assignment against a depleted Ospreys presents Connacht with the chance to register back-to-back wins but Pete Wilkins is all too aware these are the games where they have slipped up in the past.

Having finished strongly to register a bonus-point success over the Scarlets last weekend, Connacht travel to Swansea to face an Ospreys side who will be without 15 first-teamers due to international call-ups and injuries.

Ending the first block of BKT United Rugby Championship fixtures with successive victories would be just the tonic after a testing start to the season, but a constant criticism of Connacht has been their inability to string a run of good performances together.

"We've been very fairly branded with that label of inconsistency in seasons gone by," said Connacht head coach Wilkins. "That’s a fair accusation.

"We've broken down those games where we’ve delivered one week as opposed to not delivering the following one, it has often been either a physical or mental intensity that been inconsistent or has wavered.

"That’s not to say there isn’t skill error sometimes or game plans we would adjust with hindsight, but there has been that yo-yoing of the intensity of our performances that we feel has cost us when we’ve failed to deliver in games we should have won.

"That’s definitely something that was a feature of our planning for this season."

Connacht have won three of their past four meetings with the Ospreys, including a 46-18 victory at the Sportsground last November. The Welsh side were without their international contingent for that one-sided loss and it will be a repeat this weekend, while Rhys Webb is also absent after failing a HIA during Sunday's derby loss to the Dragons.

"They could well have a large