Marcus Walsh (21) is in the Academy and has been doing alright playing for the Eagles last season and a big part of the title winning Lansdowne team too, suspect he'll be the extra SH...

I certainly hope so and if you consider that Caolin Blade and Rory Paratta could be in next years academy I think it's a position we could be strong in.

rossie wrote: Based on swiftys updated list id like to see a more experinced 7 than coneely backing up faloon. Pity joc hadnt another yr left in tank to support them but think someone need to be found. Ditto at hooker re heffernan. If rael doesnt come in perhaps flavin could do that job for 1 more year. 2 and 7 and pack is complete for me.

We need a third sh. Of ones out of contract murphy has most to offer but at greatest cost. Elsewhere stringer has been spoken about regularly but wont be cheap. Options are thin on ground after that.
13 is the significant problem for me. Yes there are players who can fill in there but for me poolman is a winger and a good one and henshaw is now a fb even if he did play 13 in school. Again options are limited here.

Nothing has been confirmed re: Reyneke as yet, be interesting to see what happens there. Could be an extension by default, ..

Marcus Walsh (21) is in the Academy and has been doing alright playing for the Eagles last season and a big part of the title winning Lansdowne team too, suspect he'll be the extra SH...

Based on swiftys updated list id like to see a more experinced 7 than coneely backing up faloon. Pity joc hadnt another yr left in tank to support them but think someone need to be found. Ditto at hooker re heffernan. If rael doesnt come in perhaps flavin could do that job for 1 more year. 2 and 7 and pack is complete for me.

We need a third sh. Of ones out of contract murphy has most to offer but at greatest cost. Elsewhere stringer has been spoken about regularly but wont be cheap. Options are thin on ground after that.
13 is the significant problem for me. Yes there are players who can fill in there but for me poolman is a winger and a good one and henshaw is now a fb even if he did play 13 in school. Again options are limited here.

Agree with you as regards the pack. As for SH i'd really like Marcus Walshe to be given a turn to see if he can stand up. I think he could. Not as concerned by the centre, Duffy could find himself there in future as the years come in and it could be a good way to get another year or two out of him. We also have Tonetti, Murphy and Mark Roche coming up.

Based on swiftys updated list id like to see a more experinced 7 than coneely backing up faloon. Pity joc hadnt another yr left in tank to support them but think someone need to be found. Ditto at hooker re heffernan. If rael doesnt come in perhaps flavin could do that job for 1 more year. 2 and 7 and pack is complete for me.

We need a third sh. Of ones out of contract murphy has most to offer but at greatest cost. Elsewhere stringer has been spoken about regularly but wont be cheap. Options are thin on ground after that.
13 is the significant problem for me. Yes there are players who can fill in there but for me poolman is a winger and a good one and henshaw is now a fb even if he did play 13 in school. Again options are limited here.

connachtexile wrote:
Pretty sure he signed a contract extension at the Tigers recently but wouldn't swear on it.

No sign of that on any Tigers forums, and it even seems he has a lot of competitors for the spot. I think we've our chance, he's a more than decent cover according to Leicester fans...

Rumours about Micheal Noone, 24, coming with us from Leicester as polyvalent backrow, would be a good addition...

Pretty sure he signed a contract extension at the Tigers recently but wouldn't swear on it.

Surprised that Healy and Conneely got contract extensions but there probably not on much and it's probably fair to give them another chance. Healy's season was blighted by injury and Conneely while a lot don't rate him is still quite young. There a gamble but a small one.

connachta wrote: Rumours about Mickeal Noone, 24, coming with us from Leicester as polyvalent backrow, would be a good adition...

Would question why when he was wider Leinster academy and playing AIL (never a full academy slot), and being cut why he didn't look West before. The season before he went to Doncaster he was playing AIL for Seapoint & then Blackrock and occasionally in Leinster Development Squad games.

Not entirely convinced by Mick I have to say. Obviously Leicester saw something in his performances for Doncaster to sign him on a short term contract after he had signed for Rotherham for this season, but I'm not sure he has the right mentality to be a top class player. You have to have the right balance of self-confidence and humility to learn and improve, and I'm not convinced he has the right balance.

Also I question his judgement in jumping for Leicester where he's only played a handful of A League games rather than a regular starting place at Rotherham.

Played alongside his dad a couple of decades back when I was a gasun and starting in Senior Rugby.

2016 - Clarke, Muldowney

2015 - White, Loughney, Wilkinson, Marmion, Poolman, Buckley, george, harris wright
2015 - mckeon, kearney, henshaw, carr, henry, Cooney, Browne, McSharry,

2014 - Tonetti, O'Donohoe, Faloon, Parks, Duffy, Griffin, O'Halloran, Muldoon, Swift,
2014 - Ah You, nikora, Healy, Ronaldson

Development contracts - Dave Heffernan, Danny Qualtar, Aaron Conneely, James Rael (1),

2013 - Gannon, Moore, Anderson, Brian Murphy, Reynecke, Fifita, Frank Murphy, Jarvis, Loxton,

Unknown - Nolan,

going/gone! - McCarthy (leinster), mcCrea (jersey), Grace (New Plymouth Albion), Vainikolo (unknown),

retiring! - O'Connor, Flavin


props-- White, Loughney, Wilkinson, Buckley, Cooney, Ah You,
hookers-- harris wright, henry, Heffernan, Rael
locks-- Swift, kearney, Clarke, Muldowney, Qualtar
6-- Muldoon, Browne
flanker-- Faloon, Conneely
8-- george, McKeon
scrum half-- Marmion, O'Donohoe,
out half-- parks, nikora, Ronaldson
wingers-- O'Halloran, carr, Poolman, Healy
centres-- Tonetti, McSharry, Griffin,
full backs-- Henshaw, Duffy

only 35 players in the squad so far.

Conneely & Healy rewarded with Connacht contracts

Connacht Rugby is continuing to develop their squad for next season and Academy graduate Aaron Conneely and winger Matt Healy are the latest players to have signed new deals with the province.

Aaron Conneely has three years with the Connacht Academy under his belt. Under the guidance of Nigel Carolan, the 21-year-old flanker-come-Number 8 has flourished. His performances with the Connacht Eagles this season have led to his promotion to the senior squad on a one year development contract.

The Galway-born back rower, who attended Colaiste Iognaid and played all his age grade rugby with Corinthians RFC, was part of the Connacht Under-20 side that took the Grand Slam in the interprovincial Championship last year. He has also represent Ireland at Under-18 Schools and Youths, Under-19 and Under-20 level.

Aaron said:

“I’m delighted to have signed a one year contract with the senior squad here. I’ve developed as a player with Nigel and the Academy over the last three years. It means a lot to me being from Galway and I’m really looking forward to another season with my home province. ”

Matt Healy has also put pen to paper on a one-year deal with Connacht. The 24-year-old winger joined the province last summer from Lansdowne RFC and has been consistently involved with the Connacht Eagles since his arrival. The former Gonzaga College school boy earned his first senior cap against Leinster in the Christmas interprovincial clash at the RDS.

Healy has been capped nine times for Ireland Under-20s playing in the 2009 U20 Six Nations and U20 World Championship.

Matt said:

“I’ve really enjoyed my first year with Connacht and I’m so pleased to have signed for another season. There’s great work being done at the club and a lot of changes for the season ahead. We’re constantly striving to improve on the pitch year on year and I’m excited to be part of that going forward.”

Rumours about Mickeal Noone, 24, coming with us from Leicester as polyvalent backrow, would be a good adition...

rossie wrote: I dont know when you last followed the ail( presume its a while considerin where u live) but there is a sizeable difference in quality when contracted/ acadamy players are available. The b+ i is a comp between contracted and acadamy players the standard is higher. Thats widely accepted and is the reason the irish provinces entered the competition in the first place.
The over reliance on contracted/ acadamy players has caused clubs to reevaluate their position on this matter. When players are pulled by province for whatever reason it leaves huge holes in a clubs squad not to mention the cost involved. Of course not having them or not enough of them leads to a relegation battle.

I dont want munster to release dineen and scanlon. Both players have lots of potential and the skill set to play the penney way. Dineen had a lot of injuries early on and is really only developing now. Scanlon suffered a serious injury last season which has slowed his progress. They will be munsters loss as will barnes.

#

Quite easy to follow really between the easy availability of the Indo/Times, RTE Online and the many blogs / podcasts reviewing same (some good/some bad). Also as my teen years were spent in Dublin and I still have plenty of friends involved in AIL Rugby Clubs as well as friends in the three Senior Connacht AIL clubs, plus friends who follow the games from the media side.

Also living and playing rugby over here for as long as I have I have a better idea of who the clubs over here are trotting out in the competition, and let me assure you that they don't run out very many contracted players in the early stages of the B&I. Just like the provinces, clubs like Esher and before them London Welsh pinch players from down the pyramid in their catchment area to rest their squads for these competitions, these include from my local club (Nat 3 London = RFU Tier 5) and other clubs.

I understand where you're coming from regarding the Munster players, but I disagree that they would add anything significant to our squad...

I dont know when you last followed the ail( presume its a while considerin where u live) but there is a sizeable difference in quality when contracted/ acadamy players are available. The b+ i is a comp between contracted and acadamy players the standard is higher. Thats widely accepted and is the reason the irish provinces entered the competition in the first place.
The over reliance on contracted/ acadamy players has caused clubs to reevaluate their position on this matter. When players are pulled by province for whatever reason it leaves huge holes in a clubs squad not to mention the cost involved. Of course not having them or not enough of them leads to a relegation battle.

I dont want munster to release dineen and scanlon. Both players have lots of potential and the skill set to play the penney way. Dineen had a lot of injuries early on and is really only developing now. Scanlon suffered a serious injury last season which has slowed his progress. They will be munsters loss as will barnes.

I believe there is a couple more announcements to be made with regard academy and development contracts and I wouldn't be surprised to see Roche be signed to the academy.

rossie wrote: Seapoint i do realise that even the mention of red gives you an uncontrollable urge to start scratching but even you must concede that signining b+i cup winners is a higher quality of player than ail level.
Last season we filled our squad by signing fafita from sligo, healy from landsdowne, cooney from garryowen and murphy from galwegians. Im merely suggesting that we aim a little higher where possible. Players have been coming to connacht from the other provinces to prove themselves for years. Mcsharry and faloon are the latest to suceed. Long may it continuw i say. That is unless you know something that i dont and there is an unlimited budget that allows us to sign better players than we already have to act as cover for those same players.

Rossie, The B&I Cup isn't a measuring stick for any individual player, it is a useful team exercise and informative for the coaches to see how individual players on the periphery fit into the core playing structures of each province. But it provides no real basis for measuring the individual other than that. Even the Championship sides do not run their League XV's until the knockout stages, the better ones or ones in relegation zones, not even then. I would say that the AIL is a purer competition than the B&I

The cost to Connacht of having these guys signed last summer, Cooney at 23 who is a pup in Prop years, Fafita & Murphy (who are based locally anyway and have been playing within the province and are know for years), and Healy (for B&I duty) is relatively minimal.

Dineen at 26 this summer, even if he had a notion to come north would probably be looking to earn the cost equivalent of two of those signings from last season (presuming his agent is pimping him across Europe currently), and that to me would not make sense. For me he has been around long enough in a HEC winning environment to make an impression surely, but he hasn't and clubs haven't been queuing down Cratloe Road to sign him up over the last few years. I'd be really surprised to see Dineen playing higher than an ambitious Fédérale 1 or maybe mid table Pro 2 Club in France, or a National League 1 / Championship side in England, possibly a Super 10 side in Italy next season..

Anyway whatever we think the acid test will be found in the middle of next season when we see where these Munster lads you've mentioned are playing, and of course if they've established themselves...

BTW - I see match report of the AIL Final listed Mark Roche as a Connacht Academy player. Maybe they've confused his U-20's representation last Autumn as an Academy place. Maybe they're right...

www.independent.ie/sport/rugby/ruddock-h...l-deal-29166218.html

It was intense stuff, with Richie Lane kicking the visitors ahead, only for Connacht Academy player Roche to wreak havoc in a three-minute period that would prove crucial.

Seapoint i do realise that even the mention of red gives you an uncontrollable urge to start scratching but even you must concede that signining b+i cup winners is a higher quality of player than ail level.
Last season we filled our squad by signing fafita from sligo, healy from landsdowne, cooney from garryowen and murphy from galwegians. Im merely suggesting that we aim a little higher where possible. Players have been coming to connacht from the other provinces to prove themselves for years. Mcsharry and faloon are the latest to suceed. Long may it continuw i say. That is unless you know something that i dont and there is an unlimited budget that allows us to sign better players than we already have to act as cover for those same players.

What day is it Ted?

March the 32nd Dougall.

Right, Ted. Is there anything to be said for another mass?

(Nice try, Borders...)