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'We don't want to be a nearly team... I'm as guilty as anyone'

By PA
Dave Heffernan of Connacht after his side's defeat (Photo By Seb Daly/Sportsfile via Getty Images)

Connacht fly-half Jack Carty admits his side will have to improve significantly if they are to make an impact in the Champions Cup round of 16.

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The Irish province slipped to a late 37-31 defeat in Paris against Stade Francais on Sunday in the final round of Champions Cup pool fixtures.

Connacht had already qualified for the knockout stages but missed out on an opportunity to get a more favourable draw, and Ireland playmaker Carty has warned his team must learn to close out tight games out if they are to become a force in Europe.

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“Look, we are bitterly disappointed,” he said. “It was quite similar to how we finished the game last week. We have to look at ourselves.

“We were 11 points up today, and 14 points up last week. We do so well to put ourselves in these positions, but against teams like Stade Francais you can’t switch off.

“Unfortunately, we did, and we were punished for it. I think the pace went to something that suited them.

“Numerically we got a yellow card towards the end which evened things up. It’s something we’ll look at. For the majority of the game, we played quite well, but some forced turnovers and offloads cost us.

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“What we need to look at is the three games we lost we should have probably won. We don’t want to be a nearly team.

“These sort of games where you are ahead by a couple of points you need to close them out. I’m as guilty as anyone.”

Connacht led for most of the match but tries from Adrian Lapegue (two), Ngani Laumape, Kylan Hamdaoui, and Ryan Chapuis, along with 12 points from the boots of Segonds and Nicholas Sanchez, got them over the line.

The visitors claimed two match points with Alex Wootton, Caolin Blade, Tom Farrell and Jarrad Butler crossing for tries, while Carty kicked 11 points.

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Andy Friend’s side looked almost certain to emerge victorious when Stade Francais hooker Tolu Latu was sent off after receiving his second yellow card for a no arms clearout, and then swearing at referee Wayne Barnes.

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But the Parisians refused to throw in the towel, and a last-gasp penalty from Segonds earned them victory.

“We really had to dig deep there to earn that win,” said Stade Francais wing Telusa Veainu.

“I think it (red card) made us gel together a bit better. Sometimes when things like that happen it brings us closer together because it makes us work that little bit harder to cover each other especially in defence and even in attack as well.

“We’ve got to look at this performance as a confidence booster for us going into next week. For us it’s about focusing on one game at a time as cliche as it sounds.”

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Jon 8 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

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j
john 11 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

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