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Normally mild-mannered pundit rips into Connacht amid Galway flop

Bundee Aki of Connacht after the Investec Champions Cup Pool 1 Round 1 match between Connacht and Bordeaux-Begles at The Sportsground in Galway. (Photo By Seb Daly/Sportsfile via Getty Images)

Usually mild-mannered Irish rugby pundit Donncha O’Callaghan unleashed a scathing critique of Connacht during their dismal performance against Bordeaux-Begles in Galway in the opening round of the Investec Champions Cup.

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The TNT Sports pundit didn’t mince his words as he lambasted Connacht for their humiliating 41-5 thrashing at the hands of the French club in Galway. O’Callaghan, known for his measured analyses, expressed his disappointment with Connacht’s lacklustre display at the Sports Ground.

Despite an early try from flanker Shamus Hurley-Langton, Connacht struggled to contain Bordeaux, with Damian Penaud, Romain Buros, and Pablo Uberti wreaking havoc. The defeat marked Connacht’s heaviest home loss in top-flight European competition, prompting O’Callaghan to deliver a rare and impassioned criticism of the team’s performance on the TNT Sports broadcast.

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Bulls Director of Rugby Jake White previews his team’s Round One Champions Cup encounter with Saracens

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    Bulls Director of Rugby Jake White previews his team’s Round One Champions Cup encounter with Saracens

    “We’ve got exactly what we expected from Bordeaux, offloading in the tackle, some incredible players doing some incredible stuff,” the former Munster lock told Sarra Elgan. “But from an Irish point of view, Connacht have been so disappointing. Pete Wilkins is a lovely man but he needs to lose it inside that dressing room.

    “Small little things at the moment, throwing the ball into touch, not looking after the ball, losing lineouts. I came here hoping that Connacht were starved of European rugby. They’re top table now and you would not think it. I promise you Sarah, some of the performances, the likes of Buccaneers and Galwegians tomorrow would have greater desire than what we’ve seen out of Connacht. I don’t like to be harsh on them, but sometimes we leave them off. That first half was not acceptable.”

    He wasn’t done, tearing further into the Westerners, whose return to Europe’s top tier left a lot to be desired.

    “You can use the excuses, Mack Hansen going off injured, the bigger men, but they’re excuses for this team. The individual errors are not good enough for Connacht at the moment. Their set piece is a joke. The line out they can’t get any return of it, and it’s really hurting them.

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    “I know I’m blinkered, looking at it with with Irish eyes and I don’t want to take anything away from Bordeaux but they’re thinking we can really open it out in this second half.”

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    2 Comments
    M
    Michael 473 days ago

    He was right, Connacht very unlucky to lose to a second string Leinster last week. Didn't seem interested today. What’s going on with the forwards? Very lack lustre, Bordeaux excellent. As a Connacht fan, who has been going to the Sportsground since 1997.

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    JWH 6 hours ago
    'Matches between Les Bleus and the All Blacks are rarely for the faint-hearted.'

    Do you hear yourself? Do you have any concept of world view? Have you tried looking into why people call Ireland ‘arrogant’? Obviously not.


    We started calling you arrogant when you called our captain a ‘shit Richie McCaw’. In New Zealand. On our turf. Don’t think that kind of behaviour really calls for respect, does it.


    NZ don’t really talk ourselves up, if anything the rugby does it for us. No kiwi goes in the media and says: ‘We are gonna win the RWC’. However, I have found many instance of IRISH media saying that the Irish should win, without a doubt. THAT is disrespectful.


    The All Blacks have played good rugby, even some of the best rugby ever, at many points in history, but I don’t think you could find a single instance of one of those players, or the NZ media, saying that they should whitewash their opponents. Ever.


    Now, onto your analysis. Ireland DID choke the QF. They beat the champions, they were ranked first coming into it, a lot of players at the peaks of their powers. Its hard to say that they didn’t choke. Obviously, their preparation was just not as good as NZ, and thats all there really is to it.


    If Ireland had repsected that ABs team and that QF more, maybe they would’ve prepared properly for it and won. But they didn’t.


    Maybe if Ireland had won their QF last RWC, they wouldn’t have to be in the same pool as SA and Scotland. I mean, its called a draw for a reason. NZ got third last RWC, so of course they should get a reasonable pool, and they were ranked pretty highly too. If you want to talk about easy pools, look no further than Pool 3 with England, Australia, Fiji, and Georgia I think?


    Now, obviously you don’t remember how that QF ended, so I’ll go ahead and rectify that. Ireland reclaimed the ball off kickoff and marched for 20ish phases into the opposition half. Savea then won a turnover, but the referee refused to give it, so play went on. Finally, at the NZ 22, after not giving up a single penatly in 25 phases of hard defense, Sam Whitelock, the most capped All Black of all time, wins the game with an incredible steal.


    Now, NZ players having a go at Ireland. Do you cry when you get hit after making the first swing? We all know Sexton is a prick on the field, its just the truth. And Ioane never backs down from a clash, so he thought he should humble a player who has never won an international knockout game who thought he was all that. Don’t really see the issue, its poetic justice really.

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