Should I stay or should I go? That was the conundrum facing Eric Elwood last summer, and most of Irish rugby fully expected him to jump the good ship Connacht for the sunnier and more remunerative climes of Begles/Bordeaux. Indeed, after more than a decade of unstinting service, even Connacht would have accepted it.

Not alone were the IRFU merely offering him a one-year contract initially, but they were trimming Connacht's budget by roughly u £200,000. Connacht were also about to change coaches again and the squad were expecting alterations as a consequence. Financially, there wasn't even an argument.

"Well, I wasn't motivated by money, because I would have gone to France without even thinking about it if that was the case. Basically I wanted a two-year deal, and the security that comes with that. I wasn't holding a gun to anyone's head. There were no comparisons with regard to money, but I got what I was looking for and I'm happy I stayed."

He admits he thought of a new life, a new language and a new experience in the south of France for himself and his family. "I was tempted, but I was also happy living in Galway. I didn't want to move my family. "There was also Galwegians, where we have a good coach. We've just been promoted to Division One and we've a nice team coming together. I'd like to have another crack at the senior side and I'm still enjoying what I do. Money's not everything. As the fella said: `It's right up there, it's pretty close to air."

There have been clear improvements, and there's even been the odd high, most notably the almost routine home win over Leinster, which makes you think that Connacht should always believe their opponents are really Leinster in disguise. For Elwood, the win would have been particularly pleasurable, given the manner in which he masterminded Connacht's stunning long-range winning try in injury time.

"Of course it would be nice to have more wins on a Saturday, but it's been going very well compared to last year. I am enjoying it and I believe we could make more strides given time and a bit more help to generate a few more players. If there were less one-year contracts and our squad for next season was sorted out earlier this time, it would also give guys greater peace of mind."

Such contractual uncertainty led to much of the close-season upheaval, and the understandable desire of a new coach to mould his own team.

Of Steph Nel, Elwood says: "His heart is in the right place. You may not see Steph's work this year but you will next year if we're given a fair crack of the whip. Then you'll see us give it a serious crack. You wouldn't believe the amount of work that's gone on in Connacht since professionalism started, with the youths, under-21s and schools, all of whom are getting internationals in those teams."

Elwood admits that Connacht have fallen short of their stated targets, namely third place in the interpros and victory in their home shield matches. The 45-0 eclipse at Neath was, he concedes, a particularly harrowing reminder of last season's nadir, though the scoreline in last week's 58-21 defeat away to Montferrand hardly told the whole truth.

"We played very well, especially for the first hour. Whether we dropped a level or not they certainly increased the pace in the last 20 minutes. They ran everything from the first minute and in the end maybe their physical strength came through. But they brought on five internationals, which was awesome."

Montferrand are, by far, the best side Connacht have faced in the Shield. Backed by Michelin, their coaching staff is part of the Wallabies' World Cup-winning backroom team and is headed by Tim Lane, while there are 15 internationals from nine nationalities in their squad.

Athlone has never seen a star-studded team like them, and on Saturday the Buccaneers' support should also make it Connacht's best attended game in years.

"We reckon we have a chance," maintains Elwood. "I wouldn't be saying that if I didn't believe it. I firmly do. You know the way the French don't travel well - we were in that game last Sunday for an hour and we feel we can produce that again at home. We'll certainly have a go."