Shane Horgan has a theory about Connacht's success this season.
They're not playing the best, most flawless rugby he's ever seen - they're making mistakes, frequently. What they are doing though is trying to be different. They're playing expansive rugby, stretching other teams to their limit. They're doing something teams have not seen before in the league.
It is this brand of rugby which has brought them to the Pro12 semi-finals for the first time.
Pat Lam was in attendance at a Connacht press conference yesterday. The head coach handed out a stat sheet to those in attendance. It showed just how remarkable Connacht's success has been in comparison to the others around them at the top of the Pro12.
Connacht are second in the table. In terms of the Pro12 table which Lam wanted to highlight, Connacht are bottom. His side are 12th of Pro12 teams in terms of both number of international players and total international caps in their squad.
In total, Lam's side have just 9 international players and 57 international caps.
Connacht's number of internationals was bolstered during the Six Nations as both Ultan Dillane and Finlay Bealham made their Ireland debuts. Robbie Henshaw, Kieran Marmion and Nathan White were also involved with Joe Schmidt's side.
Next season, with the exit of both Robbie Henshaw and AJ MacGinty those numbers will fall. Though with the acquisition of exciting Leinster academy player Cian Kelliher and the possibility that Bundee Aki could become an Ireland international, the future is bright.
