Very quiet on the signings lads and ladies. Getting worrying at this stage with the few departures. I know our academy is producing but we cannot rely on that.

Apparently Macken is not being retained, probably a more realistic/ affordable option than Darcy

salmson wrote: Here's a slightly mad one. With his contract finishing this year and Henshaw not being available for the first 2 months of the season and again during the 6 nations, would giving this young fella a contract be an idea?

Invalid consumer key/secret in configuration

Thoughts?

Nah- I'd know Ruaidhri a bit and whilst he's a big unit don't think I'd have him in the Connacht first team

I'd definitely take D'Arcy for the right money

salmson wrote: Here's a slightly mad one. With his contract finishing this year and Henshaw not being available for the first 2 months of the season and again during the 6 nations, would giving this young fella a contract be an idea?

Invalid consumer key/secret in configuration

Thoughts?

I'd take him. But I would assume that sticking about where he is until the end of the WC would be the most likely option.

Here's a slightly mad one. With his contract finishing this year and Henshaw not being available for the first 2 months of the season and again during the 6 nations, would giving this young fella a contract be an idea?

Invalid consumer key/secret in configuration

Thoughts?

jasus only a one year deal ? thats mad !

Leinster confirm mick kearney.
Think it's only 1 year deal

Cheers mate glad you liked it. There's still a link to the blog at the top of the forum page so I will update the blog thread with a link and let people read it if they wish, which is always appreciated.

Phatguerilla read your blog, very good read you should post it up here if you want .

It's been commonly suggested but not announced. Faloon and most other transfers have already been declared but not this one. It's annoying that the Irish times have just copied the Connacht injury announcement then added their own rumour

Thought that it was known by everyone that Kearney was leaving?

MIxed bag of news in the IT re Squad for Ulster game, but they're stating notion that that Kearney is gone anyway as fact..
For me if he's gone they should just announce it., but I suppose it gives some time for Pat to sort out a replacement with less hassle..

Irish Times wrote: Connacht coach Pat Lam was able to enjoy a largely positive medical prognosis ahead of Saturday’s crucial Guinness Pro12 game against Ulster at the Sportsground (2.40pm).

New Zealand centre Bundee Aki, who hasn’t played since undergoing ankle surgery in the second week of January, is available, a significant fillip as Connacht try and retain a place in the top six of the league.

Left wing Matt Healy suffered a rib contusion and was replaced during last Friday’s European Challenge Cup quarter-final defeat to Gloucester at Kingsholm but an X-ray revealed no fracture and the injury is not as bad as first feared.
He will undergo a graduated return to training this week, a fate shared by Andrew Brown who sustained a mild sprain to the AC shoulder joint in Kingsholm.

Flanker Eoin McKeon, who missed the Gloucester game after sustaining concussion in a league match against Munster at Thomond Park, has followed the return to play protocols and should play this weekend. Prop Ronan Loughney, another to miss the trip to England, is available following a mild muscle strain.

Mils Muliaina will be sidelined for two or three weeks as a result of an adductor strain he picked up in the first half of the defeat to Gloucester.

Mick Kearney, who was a late withdrawal from that match after picking up a toe injury in the warm-up, might have played his last game for the province.

The secondrow, who joins Leinster in the summer, has been diagnosed with an MTP joint sprain and is likely to be sidelined for six weeks. It was confirmed that centre Conor Finn suffered an ACL tear to his knee during the Munster match and will undergo surgery in the coming weeks. The recovery time for the unfortunate 22-year-old is likely to be six to seven months.

www.irishtimes.com/sport/rugby/bundee-ak...ster-clash-1.2166691

Disappointed it hasn't worked out as we hoped but to even get him to Connacht was huge in terms of what he can pass on to the younger players, boosting our profile and changing perceptions of how we are viewed. I think himself, Tom McCartney and Bundee Aki coming in following on from Craig Clarke have been huge in changing the ah sure we're doing all right attitude that has been in Connacht for far far too long.

However, his best days were past. It can be hard to watch a class player past his best and struggling to shrug off injuries but hope he does well at Zebre and gives them a boost. Will remember the positives of the first two games where he effortlessly glided past a few Zebre players and him saving us on a couple of occasions when the chips were down at home to Scarlets. Disappointing in the big games against Leinster and Cardiff away though.

I'm sure there is something significant in the pipeline.

Fingers crossed Pat can put the Mils money to good use. Bernard Jackman made some good points on against the head in relation to the transfer market. The first was that there is a real lack of talent out there at the moment, which is maybe unsurprising with the world cup, but his other point was that the English teams are well positioned because of the exchange rate at the moment, which is something I hadn't considered. Anyway, time will tell.

He was certainly worth the gamble, but proved a shadow of himself since returning from injury. I wish him luck at Zebre. I'd imagine he'll have a similar role there as mentor/coach/player.

Trevor wrote: Mils moving on to Zebre.
www.connachtrugby.ie/muliaina-to-move-to-zebre/#ConnachtNews

Makes me think they're freeing up some cash for someone else. ?Slade :whistle: