FOLLOWING A LARGELY frustrating 2021-22 campaign, Gavin Thornbury is hoping his sixth season in the green of Connacht can bring much greater fortune on a personal level.

Having firmly established himself as a regular starter in the western province’s second-row, the Dublin native underwent shoulder surgery in the summer of 2021 and was only expected to be sidelined for a period of up to 12 weeks. However, a series of setbacks delayed his return to competitive action and it wasn’t until 2 April of this year – an United Rugby Championship clash with Benetton – that he finally picked up his 60th Connacht cap.

Yet he proceeded to make an additional four appearances for the province in the weeks that followed that duel against the Italian club and now feels in a much better place with a full pre-season under his belt.

“I’m feeling really good. It was really nice to get a full pre-season in. Obviously last year didn’t go to plan and it was quite tough personally. Just to be out on the pitch and training every day, it’s very good. Going into the new season there’s massive excitement,” Thornbury remarked in a virtual press conference earlier today.

“It has been a long but productive pre-season. The same as every season, you’re really ready to rip into it. I think everyone here is buzzing to get started.”

After an 11th-place finish in last season’s URC saw them missing out on qualification for the European Champions Cup, Connacht will be looking to lay down some solid foundations in the opening weeks of the new campaign. Their mental resolve will be severely tested in the opening block of fixtures, however, with a trip to Ulster on Saturday [Kingspan Stadium, KO 7.35pm] being followed by back-to-back away encounters against 2021-22 finalists the Stormers and the Bulls in South Africa.

There are also difficult outings on the horizon with interprovincial rivals Leinster and Munster on 7 and 14 October respectively, albeit both of these games will take place on Connacht’s brand-new 4G surface at The Sportsground. Thornbury’s focus for now is on Friday’s visit to Belfast and he can’t wait to get going in his side’s latest seasonal bow.

“It’s a very tough opener, but it’s also massively exciting. You want the challenges going up there. They have a bit of a fortress so going up there is going to be a massive challenge for us, but I think it’s something we’re really looking forward to and we want to rip into it.”

While there have been a number of recruits to the Connacht squad for the new campaign (including Thornbury’s former Ireland U20s team-mates Peter Dooley and Adam Byrne from Leinster), the coaching structure at Connacht was also altered in the off-season. Although the names within the backroom staff remain the same, Andy Friend has now assumed the mantle of Director of Rugby with Peter Wilkins being promoted to a head coach role.

This may seem from the outside like a major change in dynamic, but Thornbury hasn’t noticed any significant difference to the way the coaching team operates.

“It doesn’t really affect us as a group. You hear the same voices, but it’s in slightly different areas. Pete has been defence coach before and he’s a very good explainer. Obviously Mossy [Lawler] and Cullie [Tucker] were both here last year, and they were with Dewald [Senekal] as well.

“Their roles have slightly changed, but the voices are the same. It’s really good to see how they’ve integrated since last year, they’ve come together quite well.”

Wilkins, in particular, has also benefited from spending time with the Ireland squad on their successful summer tour of New Zealand. He was added to Andy Farrell’s coaching set-up for the duration of their spell in the southern hemisphere, where was joined by five of the current Connacht squad.

Bundee Aki, Mack Hansen, Cian Prendergast, Finlay Bealham and Dave Heffernan are now back in harness at the Galway-based province and Thornbury explained what they have brought to the table since returning from international duty.

“You get the energy from them, but you also get a massive learning from them. I think Pete especially coming back, just having gone over there and seen how they coach, and how they set up their sessions. He has come back and he’s added a lot to the set-up.

“The lads coming in, they’re feeding information straight away and they see things slightly differently. It helps our game. When they’ve come back, they’ve been brilliant. They’re speaking in team meetings, showing things individually. It was a great experience for them and it has been great for us as well.”

Though his involvement on the New Zealand tour would probably have seen him missing out in any event, a calf injury means it will be next week before Bealham makes a return to Connacht training.

Jarrad Butler (hand) and Diarmuid Kilgallen (hamstring) are in a similar boat, while new club captain Jack Carty is being slowly integrated back into action following his recent wrist surgery. Shane Delahunt (hamstring) isn’t expected to be available until the end of October and Shayne Bolton will be out for between 12-14 weeks with a pec injury.

Daire Walsh