As someone born in England, raised in Wales and playing for Ireland, Kieran Marmion knows all about the importance of options.
The Connacht scrum half is likely to make his 100th appearance for the province in tomorrow’s PRO12 final-day showdown with Glasgow in Galway, where victory would see the home side finish top of the pile for the first time in the history of the competition.
It’ll be the pinnacle of a rapid four-year rise for Marmion, who earned his first cap in 2012 while still in the Connacht academy, from also-rans to pacesetters.
Marmion’s debut came before Pat Lam, the Connacht head coach, arrived in 2013, meaning that he’s seen every step of progress made under the Kiwi, from the inside.
Key to the province’s success has been the rewards earned from their brave and expansive style of play, something the scrum half has seen grow in value as players learned how and when to make their moves.
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“When we get to certain positions we have maybe five or six options of what we can do,” he said.
“It is just about picking the right option which is probably the hardest bit, that takes a good bit of training.
“The biggest thing is lads understanding which decisions to make and when to make them; probably the hardest part of our gameplan is making those correct decisions.
“You can see from last season to where we are at now... as a team we have got better at doing that. From that you can see the improvements in our game.”
Sometimes the moves can’t be coached – such as Marmion’s opportunistic try in the 7-6 statement victory over Leinster in March – but being ready to pounce on mistakes is not a fluke.
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During an average week, Connacht will do their homework on the opposition, but most of the focus in preparation for a game will be on what they do, rather than their opponents. Take the table toppers Glasgow Warriors, for example.
“Obviously there are a team packed full of internationals: you have got Stuart Hogg at the back, in the pack you have got Leone Nakarawa and Josh Strauss, all over the park they have got international players so we are under no illusion how good they are all over the place,” Marmion said, before adding: “But for us it is mainly about focusing on what we are going to do.
“Obviously we look at their threats and try and shut that down. But at the end of the day, we will be looking at what we can do as well to beat them.
“Most on the focus is done on ourselves. Obviously we look at their gameplan, their structures and what they are trying to do. But then we look at ourselves and see what we can do to break them down and score tries and beat them.”
Last week’s shock late defeat to Treviso, when Connacht were without a handful of starters, would have haunted the players in previous seasons, but no more.
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“Obviously the lads are disappointed, especially the way we lost it right at the end. We went through the review, looked at the opportunities that we missed and looked at a lot of the good things that came from the game.
“But I think we’ve enough confidence to not let it affect us. As long as the opportunities are there it’s just about taking them. We know we are creating scoring opportunities, so obviously it’s disappointing we didn’t take them but they are there to be had.”
Home advantage is a given in professional sport, but Connacht have really enjoyed their home comforts this season, losing just once all season in the league.
“When we get to certain positions we have maybe five or six options of what we can do
The Sportsground is one of the more antique looking grounds in the competition, which only adds to the home comforts.
“I can only imagine it’s pretty intimidating,” Marmion said of the venue. “The crowd is probably a lot closer to the pitch than most grounds we play in. For a small stadium it is pretty loud as well.
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“I can imagine a lot of teams being pretty intimidated by it. It’s a big boost for us lads knowing what’s it like going out there and they really get behind us.
“The fact that it’s a sold-out Sportsground will really lift everyone. Everyone already knows what’s at stake from the game, so everyone will be fired up.”