Pat Lam warned the hard work starts now for Connacht after they notched a fifth win on the trot for the first time in 13 years against Treviso.
A 33-19 win at the Sportsground sent Lam's men top of the Pro12 table, but the Kiwi coach is keeping his feet on the ground despite the province's excellent form.
“I’m proud of the whole squad – the players, the management. A lot of work has gone into it," said Lam.
"Everybody can be proud of themselves but it only just begins now. We need to step it up another level because everyone is coming after us and the challenge is to stay up there."
Only once before have Connacht won five games in a row – and that occurred 13 years ago – but with six Pro12 victories out of seven they are currently the team to beat, and Lam was quick to praise his charges after they battled past the resolute Italians.
“This group of guys are extremely coachable and they have a hunger to improve. That’s all you can ask for us to keep on pushing on," he said.
“You have to be disciplined, you have to grind it out. Last year [against Treviso] we got the record score against them but we had six tries in the last 20 minutes. They’ve got a really good attack and they enjoy moving that ball around.
“We were frustrated not to get the bonus point and to give away a try at the end but all in all they boys can be proud of their efforts."
Another positive for Connacht was the return of Robbie Henshaw to the fold. The Ireland centre capped an impressive display with a well-worked try and Lam praised his contribution.
“Robbie will be happy with that. He’s been impressed with our phase play structures and the shape of our attack and that was a really good team try. He did really well to finish it off.”
