In a reply on twitter Murray Kinsella said he expected another front row signing by Connacht.

Mark Mostyn wrote: "I’m not sure we would have had any information whenever we made the decision to release him that we did not have when we signed him."

That's a good point, and if they had this info he shouldn't have been signed in the first place.

Andrew Farley was the team manager for Grenoble. I'm sure he knew what was going to come out. It wouldn't take much to find out.
Great decision in hindsight as we were going to be dealing with a shitshow with KK being let go.

Mark Mostyn wrote: I’m not sure we would have had any information whenever we made the decision to release him that we did not have when we signed him.

Nonetheless it was still the right call-there are other loose-heads out there.

I’m not sure we would have had any information whenever we made the decision to release him that we did not have when we signed him.

More details have emerged in Le Monde in France about Coulson's role in the rape incident when he was at Grenoble and it does not make for pleasant reading. It would give some indication as to why he was released at the end of last year.

abonnes.lemonde.fr/police-justice/articl...5330138_1653578.html

Translation here: www.reddit.com/r/rugbyunion/comments/8yi..._loïck_jammes_denis/

Hotwitz is on the way to Galway.

Kyne released. Had serious potential but had no luck with injury couldnt string a run of games together.

Can’t wait to see Sevu Reece, hopefully he’ll be the sort of guy that puts arses in seats. I’m taking our lack of front row signings as a big vote of confidence in Conan O’Donnell. Does anyone know anything about about Conor Kenny, Kyne, or Matthew Burke?

100% agree. On your last part, I think that's because O'Donnell, slowed down by injury last year, is highly rated. You don't use a 19 y-o prop in Pro12 like Lam did for no reason. 22 is now the time for him to step-up. Hope so...

Bazzo wrote: McCabe seems very capable to me.

I agree, looked the part every time he played last year, but I still take Connachta's point.

Start of 15/16 our six props had 188 Connacht starts between them, including 4 very experienced props: White (38 Connacht starts + skite down under) and Ah You (41 starts) at tight head; Buckey (48) and Loughs at loose head (60).

The six we have signed now have 187 Connacht starts between them, but the starting pair of Bucks and Finlay have 160 of those. The supporting 4 have only 27 starts between them (O'Donnell 4; McCabe 3; Carey 16, Robertson-McCoy 4) and only Carey has any relevant senior experience elsewhere.

Carey would be starting in a lot of teams, but the backup looseheads have less than half his starts between them, hence the wish (and I think that's all it will amount too, unfortunately) for a loosehead.

On the plus side, Bealham started our championship season as an average-to-poor loosehead with 2 Connacht starts, and finished it as a league winning international tight head, so hopefully the reason we're not signing someone is that they'd be blocking one of the supporting cast who the coaches reckon will definitely make the grade.

Bazzo wrote: McCabe seems very capable to me.

Agreed, no concerns about McCabe.
Looked solid in the scrums and dynamic in the loose when called upon.
His age profile is good (26), and if he stays fit and has a good attitude he'll only get better....

McCabe seems very capable to me.

I would not be happy at all.
Behind Buckley, it's not conforting at all for LH
Coulson was good but gone.
McCabe is not a 1st choice if Bucks gets injured
O'Donnell unproven
Bealham hasn't played there for 2 years

I suspect we're done for (senior) recruitment, based on that snippet from Friend about there being 44 in the senior squad. There are currently 43 (Claffey's been added) on the branch squad page, and Fainga'a would bring that up to 44.

Was surprised we didn't add an 11th front row, but going by the Clan squad pages the last two years are the only time we've had 11 front rows signed up. For our title season we got by with 9 senior front rows, with O'Donnell & Delahunt from the academy making up the numbers for the EPCR squad. Hopefully we'll get away with the numbers shortage in similar fashion this year.

connachta wrote: And no message about signigns being over.
I know it doesn't appear every year, but still a good sign for the very last we need : a LH prop

Think it was pointed out last year that it's been a long time since we've done this, so whilst we can hope recruitment isn't finished it's unlikely they'll announce it when it is.