Does anyone know what the story is with Darragh Leader's injury? I saw on social media that his hand seems to be back in a cast.

Anyone know who we are playing preseason other than Montpellier?

clanman wrote: it's very encouraging that we have some big units in the academy, with most of them having played at under 20's for Ireland. now we're just waiting on that marquee signing at lock or number 8

exactly!

it's very encouraging that we have some big units in the academy, with most of them having played at under 20's for Ireland. now we're just waiting on that marquee signing at lock or number 8

Had another look at the Pro 12 final earlier (well who hasn't watched it more than once or twice ) and I am so impressed with the composure of a team that has never seen such a limelight before. My two favourite moments of the game was McCartney breaking the line and just not making the touchdown (what a tackle by sexton) and the gentle giant Ultan and how he brushed past D Kearney.

Its an awful shame we lose AJ and Aly. AJ grew into the team during the season and come season end there was never any doubt he would always be first choice. Aly provided the linkage to the backline and always made the right choices when either making a move or taking the contact.

I expect Tom will become Irish hooker of choice when he becomes IQ and I look forward to seeing him wear the Irish jersey. Also look forward to seeing the youngsters coming through. Kerins looks a fine player

Big George confirmed to harlequins. Still think he had a year or two in him so glad to see he's got a move

Evil_g wrote: I include the likes of Loughney and Mul, who probably predate anything that could be called an academy

Mul indeed predates the academy, but Loughs was in the very first first academy intake...

www.irishexaminer.com/sport/rugby/ronan-...mi-final-400591.html

The Galway native was one of the first to join Connacht’s new academy in 2004 and has been ever-present in the squad since

Squad origins:
Connacht - 12
Other Connacht academy graduates - 10*
New Zealand - 7
Other provincial teams/provincial academies - 7**
AIL - 3
South Africa - 3

*includes Shane Delahunt. Started with West Offaly Lions minis when they were a Connacht club, and later played for Buccs, but since he played schools in Leinster and played for Leinster underage team through his teens, only moving to Connacht (and hooker) when they decided he wasn't big enough to prop, I've classified him as fordehn.
**not all players (O'Leary, Carey) came direct from the other provinces.

Interesting to note that even though we've lost Robbie and Conor Finn, having promoted six from the academy, and brought Eoin Griffin home, 22 of this season's senior squad are products of the academy. That's up from 17 last season (I include the likes of Loughney and Mul, who probably predate anything that could be called an academy).

Whilst's that's still below the other Irish teams (though not by that much, I think Munster are are in or around 27, Ulster might be slightly les) it must compare well with other pro teams around Europe.

10 of 42 are signed until 2018 - Boshoff, Browne, Carey, Griffin, Healy, Heenan, Kelleher, Marmion, O'Halloran & Ronaldson.

The other 32 are just signed for next year. This is a larger number than last year, when 23 of the 40 man squad had deals up at season's end, but you need to remember that deals more than 2 years in length are a rarity in rugby and usually reserved for marquee players and/or current internationals. We also have a very young squad and large numbers of academy players breaking into the first team every year.

There's a risk that we'll lose some players as we do every year, but given our budget our retention rate is pretty good. Of the 23 out-of-contract at end 2015/2016, we re-signed 13, released 7*, and lost 3 (Ah You, Henshaw, Muldowney) that we wanted to keep.

A similar outcome this season would see (approximately) 18 re-signed, 10 released, and the loss of 4 we want to keep. We'd then need to back-fill 14 squad places from the academy and other teams. This is just 2 additional signings next summer as compared this summer (12 added to squad for coming season), so it's likely that this admittedly lop-sided contracts situation is deliberate and part of succession planning.

*McGinty in included in the "released" group. Connacht did not/could not offer him a contract as Boshoff was being signed, and Lam pretty much acted as an agent for him, as McGinty and his new coach Steve Diamond confirmed. Captain Hindsight may yet decry this as a really bad decision, but regardless he definitely falls into the "released" rather than "left" bucket.

Are 31 (75%) of our senior squid really out of contract at the end of this season? That's a bit worrying.

clanman wrote:

goconn wrote: I'd be expecting Boshoff to have the same impact, profile and overall 'always-on' game time as when we had Dan Parks join us a number of seasons back. Different era and circumstance for sure, but same concept in terms of what we are looking for as impact. We'll see !

maybe not initially, but Lam did say that when the bad weather comes he wanted an out-half with a decent boot.

haven't been here for a while, who is this McCoy?

TH prop Lam met in the Auckland Blues developpement squad. Only 22, 1 season to improve his scrummaging, White is still available, pfew, and Robertson McCoy will probably have a bit a time to adapt.

goconn wrote: I'd be expecting Boshoff to have the same impact, profile and overall 'always-on' game time as when we had Dan Parks join us a number of seasons back. Different era and circumstance for sure, but same concept in terms of what we are looking for as impact. We'll see !

maybe not initially, but Lam did say that when the bad weather comes he wanted an out-half with a decent boot.

haven't been here for a while, who is this McCoy?

Think matt, tiernan and niyi will simply have to do for next year. What hope have we got with them . But I suppose we'll have to make the best of it and suffer on with their defensive frailities

I'd be expecting Boshoff to have the same impact, profile and overall 'always-on' game time as when we had Dan Parks join us a number of seasons back. Different era and circumstance for sure, but same concept in terms of what we are looking for as impact. We'll see !

Have it on reasonably good authority that recruitment isn't finished yet (positions weren't specified). Big things expected from McCoy in the future apparently as well.

Some sh&te I have read on here, but some of this stuff takes the cheese.....