connachtexile wrote: Sweet. Hopefully the good news keeps coming.

Anyone heard of this guy? Bronson Ross he's an kiwi born IQ tighthead that's playing in Spain for Gernika. He's looking to get a contract with someone in Ireland. No idea how good he is but no stone unturned etc.

Signed for Coventry (National League 1 - Tier Three England) in the summer apparently...

Hasn't played NPC / Super Rugby afaik.....

Basically he hasn't played above AIL standard, and is playing AIL 2 now...

Coventry Rugby wrote:
coventryrfc.co.uk/article/CoventryFrontrowBeefedUp.html

Bronson Ross aged 26, is mainly a tight head prop, although also able to play hooker. Born in Oamaru, South Island, New Zealand with an Irish passport he played for Marist Dunedin in New Zealand, and spent a couple of seasons at Scottish Premiership side Boroughmuir.

Bronson has recently been playing for Spanish side Guernica and now relishes the chance to come to English Rugby to assist the ambitious Coventry club to meet their potential. He has been impressed with the professionalism and set up at the Coventry club, and welcomes his full time chance.

Sweet. Hopefully the good news keeps coming.

Anyone heard of this guy? Bronson Ross he's an kiwi born IQ tighthead that's playing in Spain for Gernika. He's looking to get a contract with someone in Ireland. No idea how good he is but no stone unturned etc.

I heard on Saturday that Fionn has signed for us next season. He signed it before the game in the rds in december

lh for Garryowen.

may have played Th on occasion but is a LH prop.

rossie wrote: imo the positions selected in isnt doing them any favours tho and rodney appears to be being given every chanc to make it at lh at expense of cooney who is a very good ail lh but is being forced to play at th for connacht to help rodney.

Cooney played TH against Leinster A and in both his brief sub appearances for the first team. Pretty sure he was TH in the AIL as well but will defer to someone more knowledgeable.

Niall Morris turns down Leinster to stay at the Tigers

www.thisisleicestershire.co.uk/Leicester...63-detail/story.html

Shame he's someone we should have been after as well. He's a quality player.

I think Cooney and Reily should be given contract extensions, there still puppies prop wise and can't be on huge money.

ive just seen the eagles team for this weekend and some of the players fighting for a contract are playing.

imo the positions selected in isnt doing them any favours tho and rodney appears to be being given every chanc to make it at lh at expense of cooney who is a very good ail lh but is being forced to play at th for connacht to help rodney.
it should have been cooney, flavin, reilly with rodney on bench to cover both sides. esp after his red card in last game.

in addition heffernan is picked at 7 and coneelly at 8 when coneely is an out and out 7 and heff a 6/8.

at centre murphy is at 12 when hes a 13. the player at 13(memory blank) is a 12.

they are on a hiding to nothing in this game but at least select them in their positions.

phatguerilla wrote:
Can't help feeling that a lot of tries from Carr were either finishing off a quality move by the rest of the team

Because we have seen so many of them over the years at the Sportsground...

I'd have Fionn back in a heartbeat.

RonanL wrote: As I said, I like Fets. When he gets the ball there is an excitement in the crowd because he's likely to do anything. Having said that, I think that ever since he scored the wonder try against Scotland, people on here are looking at him through rose tinted glasses. For me, he still has a lot of deficiencies e.g. defence (something he shares with Fionn), and his inability to field a high ball. I googled the stats out of interest, and according to the rabo site, Fionn had 22 tries in 52 appearances for us, while Fets has 4 in 20. I think that’s only league games, but it’s hard to argue with those stats. Eric was fairly quick to remark on Fetu’s technique when it came to finishing the chance against Munster over Christmas too – Fionn would have finished that. By the way, I’m not Fionn’s agent or anything – he’s far from the complete player either. I just think people are very quick to focus on the positives of players they like, and the negatives of players they don’t.

Fets, this is your cue to prove me wrong and run in a hat trick against Quins on Saturday

Can't help feeling that a lot of tries from Carr were either finishing off a quality move by the rest of the team or a quick grubber kick through by keatley to touch the ball down. While there's definitely a need for someone who can do that I would think that toh and poolman would be capable of filling that role if asked while also having a lot of other positives that Carr doesn't have. I also think that conn's style has changed a good bit in the last year or two and maybe a player like Carr would not have as good a strike rate in the 'new' system. I think that Carr is an honest player who you can always tell is trying as hard as he can, but seems only capable of concentrating on one thing at a time. While he was at connacht that was scoring but while he's been at Leinster you can almost see his entire concentration being put into defence/tackling and positioning, with a lot less go forward thinking as a result. Just my impressions obviously can't really be proven.

Swift4prez wrote:

2013 - Gannon, Moore, Ah You, Anderson, McCrea, Brian Murphy, Reynecke, Flavin, Swift, Fifita, Browne, O'Connor, Vainikolo, Frank Murphy, Grace, Healy, Jarvis, Loxton, Nikora

Unknown - Nolan, Cooney,

Of the this lot left I think we should keep Browne, Gannon, Flavin, Swift, O'Connor, Vainikolo, Jarvis, Nikora and Fifita. Nolan should get three months and see if he can stay fit for that length of time otherwise he's done.

Whose Cooney?

Cooney was on an initial 1 year deal. I'd expect him to be kept. Ah You is IQ during next season (Dec 2013) so he comes off the foreigh list this coming summer.

swift4prez wrote: took me awhile to find this, ill keep it up dated

2015 - White, Loughney, Wilkinson, Marmion, Poolman, Buckley, george, harris wright
2015 - mckeon, kearney, henshaw,

2014 - Tonetti, O'Donohoe, Faloon, Parks, Duffy, McSharry, Griffin, O'Halloran, Muldoon

2013 - Gannon, Moore, Ah You, Anderson, McCrea, Brian Murphy, Reynecke, Flavin, Swift, Fifita, Browne, O'Connor, Vainikolo, Frank Murphy, Grace, Healy, Jarvis, Loxton, Nikora

Unknown - Nolan, Cooney,

Swifty and Andrew Browne will get new contracts. I hope Vainikolo stays for at least another season. JOC will probably get another 1 year.

19 players out of contract. At most I think 7 or 8 may have something to offer but I'd be farily sure at least 10 will be heading for the exit door

Looking at the NIE situation:
White (2015)
Reynecke (may be leaving)
Naoupu (2015)
Parks (2014)
Vainikolo (Out of Contract)
Poolman (Project)
Ah You (Project)(Almost certainly leaving)

Fionn:

League: 77 starts, 7 sub appearances, 29 tries.
Amlin: 20 starts, 0 sub, 12 tries.
HEC: 0 starts, 2 sub, 0 tries.

Fetu:

League: 20 starts, 1 sub, 4 tries.
Amlin: n/a
HEC: 6 starts, 1 sub, 1 try.

I realise some of Carr's tries could be regarded as coming agsinst weaker opposition, but even including his less productive Leinster spell, 41 tries from 99 games is some strike rate.

RogueXV wrote:

ConnachtBOB wrote: Carr can stay where he is. He wanted nothing more than to leave a couple of years ago when it was clear to anyone that he wouldn't get much game time at the RDS. Leinster didn't want him, then Ulster didn't want him so Leinster ended up signing him for peanuts.

Why would we want someone that's not committed to us. We have better young lads now anyway that can defend and kick the ball better than he ever could and have really bought into the team.

I'll probably never be involved in the financial negotiations with players at Connacht, but I definitely think there is a price were I would bring Carr back. While at Connacht he proved that he could score tries and they could really use someone like that especially if Vainikolo leaves.

Indeed, Tiernan is not a try-machine by any stretch (5/21 last season and 2/11 this), and our options are even more thin further down, when you look at our record league try scorers it is somewhat worrying...

All time Leading Try-Scorers (Celtic League)

• Fionn Carr - 22
• Conor McPhillips - 20
• Matt Mostyn - 15
• Wayne Munn - 13
• Matt Lacey - 12

connachtexile wrote: I like Carr he scored trys and couldn't care the reasons why he wants to leave If he wants to come back all is forgiven

As for Fets I think it took him a looooonnnnnggg time to acclimatise here and after the Cardiff game I was ready to write him off but the last month or two he's improved and I'd be sad to see him go.

A little bit like Henry last season. He was so much improved in the second half of the season. I wonder is it something to do with playing for a contract?

I like Carr he scored trys and couldn't care the reasons why he wants to leave If he wants to come back all is forgiven

As for Fets I think it took him a looooonnnnnggg time to acclimatise here and after the Cardiff game I was ready to write him off but the last month or two he's improved and I'd be sad to see him go.