Bernard Jackman says Connacht's coaching restructure could count for little unless they can plug their leaky defence ahead of the new United Rugby Championship season.
Andy Friend has been promoted to director of rugby with Peter Wilkins taking over as head coach as part of a coaching reshuffle out west.
Wilkins, who worked as defence coach for four seasons before moving up to senior coach last season, will again take primary responsibility for defence.
Connacht had the sixth-worst defence in last season’s URC, conceding 67 tries in 18 matches – almost double that of Munster (34) and Ulster (34), with Leinster (31) boasting the best defence.
They shipped 57 points in their pre-season opener against Castres on Wednesday and having been handed a tough start to their URC campaign, playing all of their provincial rivals along with away games against last season’s finalists, the Stormers and Bulls, in their opening five matches, Jackman fears their defensive frailties could be exposed.
Speaking to RTÉ 2FM's Game On, former Connacht hooker Jackman said: "There has been a softness to them defensively for the last four or five years. They are capable of defending well but unfortunately when things don’t go their way they can ship a lot of points.
"We saw that on numerous occasions last year. The most high profile was in the return match against Leinster [in the Champions Cup] at the Aviva Stadium.
"There were times during the URC as well, particularly in Galway, where the floodgates opened up and they were very porous.
"Wilkins has gone back to defence, that’ll be interesting for him. You’d wonder if maybe a new voice needed to come in there, he obviously had the reins [before].
"The most important thing for Connacht is that this coaching group find a way of making them harder to score against.
"They’re a brilliant team with ball in hand, their attack is as good as nearly any team in the competition, but when they’re on a bad day it gets very bad."
Full-time in France.
— Connacht Rugby (@connachtrugby) August 24, 2022
Thanks to our hosts @CastresRugby for the run-out and good luck for the season ahead. pic.twitter.com/6UdKdPAW0i
Friend has served as Connacht head coach since succeeding Kieran Keane in 2018 and last season led the province into the Champions Cup knockout stages for the first time.
Jackman praised the Australian's impact, ensuring Connacht remain a competitive force despite operating on a much smaller budget compared to their neighbours.
"He has done a great job," said Jackman. "You have to remember the resources they have, even for the coaching team. It wouldn’t take a rocket scientist to work out that’s not the most expensive coaching staff to put together. He works with limitations.
"His character and personality, his openness and positivity is a key factor in this job. He has been able to get brilliant performances out of Connacht, even after some very tough days.
"He has been able to lift their spirits, which is key in that position. He’s made a big impact and has been a really smart recruit by the Connacht board."
