Carty poised to play vital role in hunt for glory over final few weeks at Connacht

JACK CARTY COULD be poised to play a pivotal role in his final few weeks with Connacht as they go for glory on two fronts with outhalf Josh Ioane again going through the return to play protocols after his latest concussion last weekend.

Ioane is unavailable for Saturday’s Challenge Cup quarter-final clash in Montpellier. He also missed the group game against Montauban in January with a head injury, after suffering a number of concussions before and after his arrival from New Zealand.

Head coach Stuart Lancaster has a number of options to cover the loss of the influential Ioane, with the versatile Sean Naughton in contention, but he may well turn to the experience of Carty as they bid to reach the semi-finals for the first time in 16 seasons.

A win on Saturday in Montpellier will set Connacht up for a semi-final date away to Zebre or at home to Dragons, either of which they would be strongly fancied to win.

Advertisement

It would be a fitting conclusion to Carty’s wonderful career with his native province if he was to steer them to glory in Bilbao next month in the Challenge Cup, not least as he missed out on the Pro12 success a decade ago after suffering a ruptured spleen on a midseason holiday in Dubai.

The 33-year-old, Connacht’s record points scorer, was excellent in their recent wins over Ulster and Ospreys.

Lancaster knows that it will take a big performance to oust unbeaten Montpellier. They had the French side on the ropes in January but surrendered a 17-point lead in the final 24 minutes to lose 33-31. Lancaster knows they need to play for the entire 80 minutes this time if they are to advance.

“It’s knockout rugby. And to win knockout rugby, you’ve got to be good for 80 minutes,” he said.

“And I think for us, the work-on really would be maybe the first 10, 15, 20 minutes of this game.

“Because against the really good teams, Montpellier away from home for example, you could be two, three scores down by then. So that’s the thing. Consistency for 80 minutes I think is the answer there.”

Meanwhile, experienced hooker Dave Heffernan is a doubt for Saturday’s game with a hip injury, while Shayne Bolton (quad), Hugh Gavin (shoulder), Sean Jansen (calf), David O’Connor (wrist) and Harry West (knee) are all back training and will be considered the two-match trip to South Africa, with the squad heading to Cape Town on Monday for key games against the Stormers and the Lions in their battle for a top half finish in the Challenge Cup.

However, back rower Oisin McCormack is out for the remainder of the season after undergoing shoulder surgery.