pinky wrote:

sligsup wrote:
Paul Boyle was updated to the senior squad on the website last year

Didn't he just win Academy Player of the Year?

So the Connacht Branch finally got to announce a signing before someone else did... completely by accident.

sligsup wrote:
Paul Boyle was updated to the senior squad on the website last year

Didn't he just win Academy Player of the Year?

Just noticed on the "Getting to know" article on the Pro14 for the new Cardiff blues coach he said "there are some big names coming in" so it seems squads aren't complete yet, or at least not fully announced.

Incidentally the new Cardiff boss sounds quite inexperienced, no head coach experience. Was saying he "wants to get the best" out of Sam Warburton......who plays about 4 games a year for them :dry:

Godwin just's scored a try!

salmson wrote:

ConnachtCows wrote:

sligsup wrote:

sligsup wrote: Connacht website being updated no academy player profiles I wonder when the new academy will be announced is Stephen Keirina being kept on half expected him to push ahead of Conor Mckeon last year.

Also Denis Coulson has not being removed so is this an indication that he has being retained.

He's removed now. Someone must be checking the forum

Also noted that Paul Boyle is included in the senior squad. Thought he was still in the academy - did I miss a memo?

Still one prop short of quota but I'm guessing apart from that recruitment is done.

Paul Boyle was updated to the senior squad on the website last year

ConnachtCows wrote:

sligsup wrote:

sligsup wrote: Connacht website being updated no academy player profiles I wonder when the new academy will be announced is Stephen Keirina being kept on half expected him to push ahead of Conor Mckeon last year.

Also Denis Coulson has not being removed so is this an indication that he has being retained.

He's removed now. Someone must be checking the forum

Also noted that Paul Boyle is included in the senior squad. Thought he was still in the academy - did I miss a memo?

Still one prop short of quota but I'm guessing apart from that recruitment is done.

sligsup wrote:

sligsup wrote: Connacht website being updated no academy player profiles I wonder when the new academy will be announced is Stephen Keirina being kept on half expected him to push ahead of Conor Mckeon last year.

Also Denis Coulson has not being removed so is this an indication that he has being retained.

He's removed now. Someone must be checking the forum

The academy intake wasn’t announced til the end of August last year, although I see no reason for it to be so late this year. I believe the deals with Connacht based lads are done and there was a few lads from other provinces who we may or may not be signing, depending on JWRC performances.

sligsup wrote: Connacht website being updated no academy player profiles I wonder when the new academy will be announced is Stephen Keirina being kept on half expected him to push ahead of Conor Mckeon last year.

Also Denis Coulson has not being removed so is this an indication that he has being retained.

Connacht website being updated no academy player profiles I wonder when the new academy will be announced is Stephen Keirina being kept on half expected him to push ahead of Conor Mckeon last year.

As far as I know Fox Matamua isn't playing Pro rugby any more. Went back to NZ but he was carrying a bad injury so don't think he got picked up by any of the Mitre 10 teams last year.

We have to have somebody in the pipeline for LH seeing as we let Coulson go. We don't have enough cover at LH and McCartney and Bealham are not sufficient to cover.
7 is obviously an issue now Connors did a u turn or whatever happened so we are now playing catch up to sign somebody.
Where did Nepia Fox Matamua go to ? I'd have him back in a heartbeat if he was fit.

Betty Swallocks wrote: I see Will Connors staying at Leinster. It was rumoured he was coming here.

Michael Milne too.

I see Will Connors staying at Leinster. It was rumoured he was coming here.

Mark Mostyn wrote: Only heard recently that Ulster didn’t even want him in the first place, apparently he told the IRFU that he wanted to stay in Ireland after we let him go so they sent him up there.

That's absolute nonsense. Lam was absolutely furious when Rodney's change of province was announced, he very much wanted to keep him. Most selected starting tighthead in the Lam era, despite missing the last season of it (yeah, I was surprised too).

There was a story doing the rounds at the time that the Ulster switch came from Best being very impressed with Rodney in Ireland training camps (and what Rory wants, Rory gets), but that is apocryphal too.

For what it's worth, my favourite theory on that switch (for which I offer no evidence whatsoever) is that the Saffirs up in Belfast invited him up for a nice braai and Rodney said "You had me at 'rack of ribs'".

Only heard recently that Ulster didn’t even want him in the first place, apparently he told the IRFU that he wanted to stay in Ireland after we let him go so they sent him up there.