Initially your delighted for the lads, fully deserved, then you think greedily (well I did anyways) and think that we would be better with them for the Scarlets game. But looking at the bigger picture, Connacht needs to show that its a club able to progress players to national levels. A few years back we only had Duffy going on international duty, then Matthews, Cronin, Keatley and Carr were getting called up. McCarthy got his first cap against Scotland last August, Wilko and Ofisa have been part of previous Irish training camps, and of course we have Johnny O'Connor who played for Ireland but this was mainly during his time in Wasps. Having Loughney, Griffin, O'Halloran knocking on the door for international call ups is promising for young homegrown players or those who might be held back at other clubs and want to reach the pinnacle of their rugby careers and play international rugby, and might just see Connacht as a route which can enable them to do so.

Certainly more upside than down for the players involved and if they make it down to NZ this summer that will be grand. You have to assume some of the first choice players will be left behind since it will have been a long season with the RWC. Add to that the possible involvement of one of the provinces in the HEC final and the chances of the Connacht lads seeing some meaningful time on a NZ pitch increase.

Yes, short-term this is unfortunate for Connacht, hate to lose Wilko and Macca for a game where points may be on offer, but by most accounts Buckley filled in well and there are good options to replace Macca in the second row. And as long as Connacht do not ship an embarrassing loss the outcome of this game will have little effect on this season. Plus it forces Eric's hand to play the likes of Buckley and Kearney or Gannon which helps the team in the long run as does the involvement of any Connacht player in the national setup.

connachtexile wrote:

Wilkinson and Loughney aren't there to hold tackle bags. Props are there for scrum practice against Healy and Ross.

We know it_phil its called ''poetic license''

Yes and what I'm referring to is it's not a waste of time scrummaging against two of Ireland's leading props.

Not only will they be practising against the Irish props, watched by the Irish coaches, no doubt they will be getting some great tips from the coaches and the other props that they wouldn't normally get.
Not saying that McFarland is inferior but different coaches spot different things. It'll also boost their confidence so not a total waste of time IMO.

Wilkinson and Loughney aren't there to hold tackle bags. Props are there for scrum practice against Healy and Ross.

We know it_phil its called ''poetic license''

As for the All Blacks John Muldoon and Niall Ronan went and got caps down there last time and a few others. I remember John Muldoon going off with his arm in a bad way and feeling gutted for the lad. If the AB's beat us in two of the three then the third been a dead rubber and most Irish folks not caring cause of the time difference he'll throw on the likes on Wilks and Loughney.

Are we playing the Maori at all?

ummm, wrote: Call me selfish, but the guys would be more use helping us finish the season strong, especially during the 6N window when Scarlets are missing players. All they're doing in the Ireland camp is holding tackle bags.

Wilkinson and Loughney aren't there to hold tackle bags. Props are there for scrum practice against Healy and Ross.

connachtexile wrote: They'll probably only be holding tackle bags for the 6 nations but if they give a good account of themselves they could find themselves on the plane heading over the equator to play against whoever this summer. After that who knows?

That'll be the all blacks.....3 times!

They'll probably only be holding tackle bags for the 6 nations but if they give a good account of themselves they could find themselves on the plane heading over the equator to play against whoever this summer. After that who knows?

Call me selfish, but the guys would be more use helping us finish the season strong, especially during the 6N window when Scarlets are missing players. All they're doing in the Ireland camp is holding tackle bags.

Great news for the lads, Great to see them getting called in as its a step in the right direction. I'd be quite confident that Wilko and Macca could hold their own if making a match day squad.

Yep, they all deserve it but that's well known. The thing is that they never seem likely to make it over the finish line and onto the match-day 22 with the current set-up.

Looks like we'll be missing wilko and Macca for the Llanelli game
Congrats to Ronan, well deserved

Irish Indo

Brett Wilkinson and Mike McCarthy also look set to miss the trip to Llanelli after being called in to train with the Irish squad this week.

Prop Ronan Loughney will also train with the Irish squad today but is expected to be available to play for Connacht on Friday.