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Connacht had hoped to lure Ireland’s Seán Cronin back to the Sportsground. However, reports in December that the 26-year-old was set to agree a new deal with Leinster shot down a reunion with the province where he had spent three years.

Yesterday the Leinster and Ireland hooker refused to expand on his thoughts after his contract expires at the end of the season. It’s not that he doesn’t know, more he just won’t say.

“My own future is sorted and there’ll be an announcement in the next couple of weeks,” he said. No expansion, no contractual distractions in Heineken Cup week.

Cronin may well welcome his good friend, lock Mike McCarthy, to the RDS rather than the other way around and whether that meeting will come after a Leinster Heineken Cup run that stretches beyond the early days of January will be decided on Saturday.

i dont get why leinster wont come out and say it. why drag it out if contract is signed! unless he wants to get on with heineken cup, then when leinster fail coming out of the group, croinin will tell us he;s moving west?????

swift4prez wrote: i wanted to say this weeks ago when people said george was leaving, f*ck off leo auva'a your as useless as donkey cullan! great having george till 2015 and IQ!

Yes to the first absolutely delighted to be keeping Big G, nope to the second. He can never be IQ.
He played for NZ Sevens I'm afraid - www.backingblack.co.nz/blog/132/sevens-d...--george-naoupu.html ...

Delighted. :lol:

i wanted to say this weeks ago when people said george was leaving, f*ck off leo auva'a your as useless as donkey cullan! great having george till 2015 and IQ!

Naoupu resigns for two years. Great coup and fair play to Sears. Big boost going into the Quins game compared to the downer going into the Biarritz game. Must have used some of the cash from Mike to keep him

Irish Times wrote: Connacht, meanwhile, are expected to confirm today that Naoupu has agreed to sign a two-year extension to his contract.

www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/sport/2013/0109/1224328602660.html

IRFU won't let Van Der Merwe get an extension, or a 2 year one anyway with Jack McGrath and Jack O Connell needing gametime in Leinster. Van Der Merwe will get a good contract in France

Denton is IQ, Roux is their "project", Goodman is on a one year deal with an option (Leinster's option) and there's VDM and Nacewa. So even if they keep Goodman they have one spot available.

Bekker and McCarthy as a second row pairing? That'd be pretty frightening.

Can't see him coming here.

What Bekker said in an interview was that he was was looking for a club in Ireland, Britain or France. The rumour machine did the rest. That said wouldn't be surprised to see him wearing Leinster Blue next year but you'd imagine he'll have a lot of suitors.

ummm, wrote: I'd guess Ulster of Muller leaves, or Leinster who realistically will only have McCarthy as Cullen is getting a bit long in the tooth now.

afaik muller has signed an extension so they have their 4 niqs signed.
leinster have van der meuwe, denton?, quin roux, goodman and

I'd guess Ulster of Muller leaves, or Leinster who realistically will only have McCarthy as Cullen is getting a bit long in the tooth now.

Word from Twitter is that an Irish side is trying to contract South African Lock Andries Bekker.
Other clubs interested too.
Can only be Connacht Leinster or Ulster as Munster seem to have enough.
What a signing he would be.

Porterbelly wrote: He's playing with St Marys

Lads, he's nowhere near good enough. Struggles to get into the St Marys team from what I've heard

Agreed, he basically a solid player at most. Too small for second row and not dynamic enough for back row. He got a Leinster contract on the same ticket that brought them Rhys.....

Sean Cronin said today in an interview that he's put pen to paper. Didn't say with who though but I think we can all assume it's Leinster.

He's playing with St Marys

Lads, he's nowhere near good enough. Struggles to get into the St Marys team from what I've heard

mary hinge wrote: What's the story on Ciaran Ruddock guys? Is he still at Leinster? Could he do a job for us?

AFAIK he was released last summer. There was some chat on the Leinster forums about him joining Neath, but he's not in their squad listing (he did play with them prior to joining Leinster).

He's back in Wales last I heard. Left Leinster last year.