United Rugby Championship Preview: Connacht vs Scarlets
Peter Wilkins admits that this weekend’s game for Connacht is a “must-win”, ahead of a trip to Llanelli to take on Scarlets in the latest round of the United Rugby Championship.
The Westerners enter this fixture in a bad run of form, losing their last four games, currently sitting in the 10th spot in the URC rankings, while Scarlet sit in 13th place, with three games in hand.
With internationals Jack Carthy, Bundee Aki, Mack Hansen and Finlay Bealham all absent for the remainder of the Six Nations campaign, it will come down to the execution of the gameplan that both Wilkins and head coach Andy Friend will carefully draw up for this enduring affair.
Speaking at a press conference, Wilkins reflected on the recent dip in form, and also elaborated on if Connacht needed to make any changes coming into this game.
“I think sometimes you play better and sometimes you play worse. The last two games, we were beaten by better teams. So naturally on those days, you don’t see the best of your qualities
I think if you don’t play well, you don’t look like the perfect version of yourself. So certainly, nothing’s changed in terms of what we’re training for and what we’re preparing for.”
Questions have come out surrounding Connacht’s aspirations for Champions Cup qualification for next season. As the season begins to enter its final stages, with eight games remaining for most teams, Wilkins says that the players are fully locked into winning this game and getting back on the right track.
“We need to win this week, it’s really important for bouncing back after the previous run of games that we had before the break. It’s important when you’re starting a new mini block at this part of the season, and it’s certainly important in terms of our URC and Champions Cup ambitions.”
Coverage of the game will be broadcasted live on TG4 from 7.30pm.
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