9 months ago 
This Sunday we have four Cup finals to look forward to with the Bank of Ireland Connacht U13, U15, U16 replay and U17 Boys Cup finals all held at The Sportsground.
Kick-off is at 11am for the U16 replay, 12:30pm for the U13 final, 2pm for the U15 final and 4pm for the U17 final and you can get the teams for all eight squads below
U13 BOYS CUP FINAL
| BUCCANEERS RFC | CORINTHIANS RFC | |
| Brian Rourke | 1 | Iustin Ababei |
| Callum McCormack | 2 | Cian Madden |
| Peter Daniels Sunny | 3 | Micheal Duignan |
| Myles Fallon | 4 | Darragh Dickson |
| Matthew Dolan | 5 | Cathal Keaveny |
| Patrick Finneran | 6 | Luke Carr |
| Harry Lowe | 7 | Eoin Healy |
| Jack McDonnell (joint-Captain) | 8 | Enda Colleran |
| Hugh Loftus | 9 | Charlie Garvey |
| Daragh Murray (joint-Captain) | 10 | Evan McDonagh (Captain) |
| Padraig O’Neill | 11 | Luke Dilleen |
| Conor Flynn | 12 | James Molloy |
| John Finnan | 13 | Aaron Hanrahan |
| Ronan Tynan | 14 | Harry Watterson |
| Donnchadh O’Dwyer | 15 | Colin Roche |
| Conor Doran | 16 | Dylan McGrath |
| Aidan Costello | 17 | Aidan Clarke |
| Paidi McKiernan | 18 | Julien Flynn |
| Eoin Carr | 19 | Jack Conroy |
| Cillian Donohoe | 20 | Donnacha Lawless |
| Michael Doolan | 21 | Padraic Kennedy |
| Aaron Delaney | 22 | Brion Kearney |
| Scott Lowe | 23 | James O’Connor |
Buccaneers Extended Squad
Chris Sylla (24), Oisin Donoghue (25), John Morris (26), Ruairi O’Connor (27), Rian Wheatley (28)
Coaches
David Flynn, Garret Tynan, Mick Loftus, John Murray, David Lowe
Corinthians Extended Squad
Ruairi Burke, Aidan Fahy, Rian Grealish, Ronan Kearney, Conor Niland
Coaches
Brian Clarke, Cian Baynes, Dave Watterson, Donal Murphy, John Dilleen, John Roche, Johnny McDonagh, Paul Gill, Sean Duignan
U15 BOYS CUP FINAL
| BUCCANEERS RFC | SLIGO RFC | |
| Elliot Rooney Digan | 1 | Kamsi Mojekwu |
| Stephen O’Connor | 2 | Ryan Burrows |
| Isacc Jocher | 3 | Roghan O’Neill |
| Tyler Mason | 4 | Naoise Fitzgerald |
| Dylan Ryan | 5 | James Mackey |
| Kailin Blessing | 6 | Sean Keaney |
| Conor McCormack | 7 | William Draper (Captain) |
| Kyle Byrne (Captain) | 8 | Jake Laws |
| Diarmuid Lyons | 9 | Andrew Ryan |
| Brian Doyle | 10 | Cillian O’Neill |
| Daire Burke | 11 | Logan Markey |
| Kyle Mahon | 12 | Ricardo Gambi-Whelan |
| Eoin McCormack | 13 | Patrick Brady |
| Matthew Turner | 14 | James McGettrick |
| Andrew Henson | 15 | Conor Van Rensburg |
| Jack O’Reilly | 16 | Samuel Garvey |
| Andrew McCormack | 17 | Michael Cosgrove |
| David Del Rosario | 18 | Cuthbert (Bertie) Bamber |
| Tadgh Trainor | 19 | Oscar O’Connor |
| Anthony Quinn | 20 | Conor McGoldrick |
| Matthew O’Connor | 21 | Harry Dennison |
| Paul O’Sullivan | 22 | Tadhg Murphy |
| Sean Duffy | 23 | Mark Greer |
Buccaneers Extended Squad
Nils Chapel, Calum Hudson, Daithi O’Leochain, Richard Heaslip, Pablo Vallarta and Cian Copeland
Coaches
David Dunning, Paul Byrne, Wes Hudson, Pat McCormack, Peter Mahon
Sligo Extended Squad
Michael Gaffney, Robbie Gilleece, Adam Feeney, Jacob Norris, Ted Keyes, James Dylan Barnicle, Feidhlin McGowan, Jayden Kelly, Odhran Buckley, Callum Scott, Heath Jeffrey, Keelan Gilmartin, Finnan O’Mahony
Coaches
Roger Burrows, Ken O’Neill, Aidan Mackey, Carl Van Rensburg, Gavin Laws
Ball Boys
Sean Gaffney, Harry Brady, Edward Laws
U16 BOYS CUP FINAL REPLAY
| BUCCANEERS RFC | CORINTHIANS RFC | |
| Nathan Downes | 1 | Donagh Kilcommins |
| Eoin Naughton (captain) | 2 | Euan Kavanagh |
| Louis Clayburn | 3 | Miciog O’Shea |
| James Heaslip | 4 | Charlie Curling |
| Rian Claffey | 5 | Liam Cahill (Captain) |
| Tom Bourke | 6 | Ruairc Joyce |
| Oteaga Awhinawhi | 7 | Mark Farragher |
| Callum Kelly | 8 | Charlie Keane |
| Charlie O’Carroll | 9 | Darragh Conneely |
| Conor Naughton | 10 | Daniel Browne |
| Conor Dowling | 11 | Conor Dooley |
| Thomas Cotton | 12 | Sean Walsh |
| Niall Derwin | 13 | Finnan Strain |
| Tom Sheehan | 14 | Christopher Joyce |
| Dylan Bruton | 15 | Cian Heavey |
| Evan McMickan | 16 | Josh Gibson |
| Sam Slevin | 17 | Emmet Walsh |
| Jacques Bourdon | 18 | Dylan McDonagh |
| Brandon Conroy | 19 | Robbie Dolan |
| Camin Dolan | 20 | Peadar Delaney |
| Sean O’Donoghue | 21 | Cillian McCullough |
| Patrick Begley | 22 | Mark James Curry |
| Emilio Prada | 23 | Ben Cooke |
Buccaneers Extended Squad
Andrew Mitchell, Sam Radebe, Aaron McAteer, Sean Noone, Cian Duffy, Sean Walsh
Coaches
Eugene Forde, Graham Heaslip, John O’Carroll, Ger O’Donoghue
Corinthians Extended Squad
Eoin Higgins, Jo Hickey, Lorcan Daly, Jamie Allen, James Fahy, Stefan Ababei, Hari Arkani, Joshua Craig, Samuel Cahill, Paidi Griffin, Jack Maher, Cormac Morrin
Coach
Muriel Dooley, Eoin De Butlair, Cathal Ford, Simon Kavanagh, James Allen and Niall Browne
U17 BOYS CUP FINAL
| BUCCANEERS RFC | SLIGO RFC | |
| Sean Doyle | 1 | Aran Platt |
| Sean Rohan | 2 | Keelan Schoen |
| Padraig Brazil | 3 | Oisin Quinn |
| Josh McCormack | 4 | Matthew Gallagher |
| Conor Sheehan | 5 | Tom Walsh |
| Gabriel Murphy | 6 | Malachi Cullen |
| Patrick Egan | 7 | Max Hunter |
| Niall Tallon (Captain) | 8 | Ambrose Bamber (Captain) |
| Fionn Lyons | 9 | Gareth McGinty |
| Andy Quinn | 10 | Oisin O’Neill |
| James Clarke | 11 | Ronan O’Hehir |
| Ewan Joyce-Whyte | 12 | Conor Creaven |
| Leon Cassidy | 13 | Stefan Roche |
| Jack Donnelly | 14 | Gerard Murtagh |
| Donnacha Connolly | 15 | Robert O’Kelly Lynch |
| Peadar Dolan | 16 | Alex Harte |
| Aindriu Oates | 17 | Senan Fallon |
| Abu Saka | 18 | Luke McNamee |
| Matthew Fallon | 19 | James Horan |
| Jorge Prieto | 20 | Ronan O’Conor |
| Jack Pollard | 21 | Jack Deegan |
| Danny Reid | 22 | Aran Gilligan |
| Jules Antoine | 23 | Diarmaid O’Connell |
Buccaneers Extended Squad
Brian Mulvihill, Sonny Drummond, Oisin Byrne, Matthew Connor, Stephen Joyce, Hugh Hilliard, Jack Duffy, Sean McCarthy, Dillon Lally, Matas Jurginas, Michael Kenny, Andrew Warde, Lestin Gossy, Pepe Marquez, Ryan Gahan
Coaches
Brian Tallon, Shay Ronan, Charlie Couper, Seamus Lyons, Alex Hayman
Sligo Extended Squad
Eamon Keane (24), James Crawford (25), Matthew Quinn (26) and Lochlann Jordan (27)
Coaches
Joe Walsh, Stanley Hunter, Brian Roche and Sean Creaven
Loughrea RFC hosted the latest end of season blitz at their headquarters last Sunday. 11 teams from 6 clubs met for an afternoon of U16, 7-aside action where the emphasis was on sportsmanship and enjoyment rather than challenging for honours.
One of the organisers, Connacht Rugby’s Galway Development Officer Craig Hansberry, said:
“It’s a fantastic day out for these young athletes, these participation blitzes are a great way for players to get one last run out before the end of the season. Most of these players aren’t involved in playoffs, or have already been knocked out of cups so to be still playing rugby at the end of April is a bonus.”
Teams from Westport RFC, Claremorris Colts RFC, Galwegians RFC, Sligo RFC, Ballinasloe RFC and hosts Loughrea RFC played 10-minute matches over two pitches in glorious sunshine at the Ballygasty venue and fine weather, coupled with the lack of pressure of silverware meant for some scintillating action.
Hansberry added:
“From a developmental perspective is brilliant to see these players trying new things, chip kicks, off-loads, skip passes, these are the slightly riskier plays that may not be encouraged during the competitive season, so to see these players enjoying themselves, taking chances, developing new skills, that’s what these blitzes are all about.”
Games started with a round of rock-paper-scissors to determine who kicked off, an event that drew some of the biggest cheers of the day, and that the tone for an afternoon of silky skills, good humour and plenty of comradery as the Youths rugby season draws to a close.
It’ll be a triple header this Sunday at The Sportsground when the Bank of Ireland Connacht U14, U16 and U18 Boys Cup finals are held.
Kick-off is at 12pm, 2pm and 4pm and you can get the teams for all six squads below
| CARRICK ON SHANNON RFC | BUCCANEERS RFC | |
| Matthew French | 1 | Ciaran West |
| Josh Keville | 2 | James Kelly |
| Sean McGreevy | 3 | Jack Ryan |
| Ronan Connolly | 4 | Evin Claffey |
| Cody O’Brien (jersey number 16) | 5 | Peter Bourke |
| Iarlaith Martin (jersey number 17) | 6 | Rueben Colleran |
| Alastair Hewson | 7 | Ruairi Dolan |
| Charlie Slevin | 8 | Nathan Kelly |
| Oran Beirne | 9 | Hugo McGowan |
| Conor Kelly | 10 | Andrew Cotton |
| Jamie Kieran | 11 | Jacob Bourke |
| Jack Moolick (captain) | 12 | Oisin O’Donoghue |
| Rian Costello | 13 | Darragh Lennon |
| Alex Copley | 14 | Ryan Nagle |
| Sean Gaffney | 15 | Philip Finnan |
| Charlie McDermott (jersey number 18) | 16 | Vlad Kotsiuba |
| Aidan McNiff (jersey number 19) | 17 | Owen Egan |
| Alan Bryan (jersey number 20) | 18 | Daniel Cleary |
| Paul Mullaney (jersey number 21) | 19 | Samuel Byrne |
| Ciaran Haupt/Richie Gavican (number 22) | 20 | Senan Nugent |
| Luke Charles/ J Prior (number 23) | 21 | Hugo Hannon |
| 22 | Amoafo Brown | |
Carrick on Shannon
Head Coach- Aengus MartinCoach- Padraig GleesonCoach- Seamus ConnollySkills- James Lynch
U16 BOYS CUP FINAL
| BUCCANEERS RFC | CORINTHIANS RFC | |
| Nathan Downes | 1 | Donagh Kilcommins |
| Eoin Naughton (captain) | 2 | Euan Kavanagh |
| Sean Walsh | 3 | Dylan James McDonagh |
| James Heaslip | 4 | Charlie Curling |
| Rian Claffey | 5 | Liam Cahill |
| Tom Bourke | 6 | Ruairc Joyce |
| O’Tega Awhinawhi | 7 | Mark Farragher |
| Callum Kelly | 8 | Charlie Keane |
| Charlie O’Carroll | 9 | Darragh Conneely |
| Conor Naughton | 10 | Daniel Browne |
| Tom Sheehan | 11 | Lorcan Daly |
| Thomas Cotton | 12 | Sean Walsh |
| Niall Derwin | 13 | Christian Joyce |
| Conor Dowling | 14 | Ben Cooke |
| Dylan Bruton | 15 | Cian Heavy |
| Evan McMickan | 16 | Josh Gibson |
| Louis Clayburn | 17 | Emmet Walsh |
| Jacques Bourdon | 18 | Mici O’Shea |
| Brandon Conroy | 19 | Robbie Dolan |
| Camin Dolan | 20 | Pear Delaney |
| Sean O’Donoghue | 21 | Cillian McCullough |
| Patrick Begley | 22 | Mark James Curry |
| Sam Slevin | 23 | Eoin Higgins |
Buccaneers Extended Squad
Andrew Mitchell, Sam Radebe, Aaron McAteer, Sean Noone, Cian Duffy, Emilio Prada
Coaches
Eugene Forde, Graham Heaslip, John O’Carroll, Ger O’Donoghue
Corinthians Extended Squad
Jo Hickey, Conor Dooley, James Allen, James Fahy, Stefan Ababei, Finnian Strain, Hari Arkani, Joshua Craig, Samuel Cahill, Paidi Geary Griffin, Jack Maher
Coach
Niall Browne
U18 BOYS CUP FINAL
| BALLINA RFC | CORINTHIANS RFC | |
| Michael McLoughlin | 1 | James Duffy |
| Sean Hopkins | 2 | Steven Norman |
| Daniel Donegan | 3 | Alex Burke |
| Jack Gawley | 4 | Eoin Connolly |
| Eoin Fergus | 5 | Ryan Gaughan |
| Sean Murphy | 6 | Rory Glynn |
| Oisin Quinn | 7 | Charlie Leonard |
| Harry Regan | 8 | Daithi Kilcommins |
| David Feeney | 9 | Donagh Broderick |
| Ben Matheson | 10 | Jack Conway |
| Paul Brennan | 11 | Tadhg Joyce |
| Cian Anderson | 12 | Matthew Kennedy |
| Cathal Kelly | 13 | Blaine Barry |
| Brian Heffernan | 14 | Fearghal MacCearra |
| Brendan Collins | 15 | Eoghan Flannery |
| Leo Cronin | 16 | Jonathan Flynn |
| Conor Brown | 17 | Rory Piggott |
| Rhys Binley | 18 | Donncha Finn |
| James Caden | 19 | Gareth Kilkelly |
| Patrick Stevens | 20 | Bryan Walsh |
| Jack Murphy | 21 | Seaghan O’Braonáin |
| Dylan Neary | 22 | Luke Dahler |
| Tommy Rodgers | 23 | Jack Wise |
Ballina Extended Squad
Tommy Esler, Blayze Molloy, Alex Hennigan, Adam O’Dowd, Adam Forde, Jack Phillips, Blair Norton, Kyle Neary, Luca Deegan
Corinthians Extended Squad
Jack Wise, Hugo deWildt, Timmy Shogbein, Sean Fox, Ryan Flynn, Diarmuid Kilraine, Maxwell Flynn, Caden Grant
It’ll be a triple header of Easter Monday rugby at The Sportsground when the Bank of Ireland Connacht U14, U16 and U18 Girls Cup finals are held.
Kick-off is at 12pm, 2pm and 4pm and you can get the teams for all six squads below.
U14 GIRLS CUP FINAL
| TUAM RFC / OUGHTERARD RFC | SLIGO RFC | |
| Aoife Ní Chonghaile | 1 | Freyja Mullen Whelan |
| Bridget Molloy | 2 | Saoirse Corrigan |
| Eilis O’Connor | 3 | Elin Siochain Simeoni |
| Emily Curley | 4 | Martina Quinn |
| Faye Gannon | 5 | Caoimhe Daly |
| Emma Conroy | 6 | Breda O’Brien |
| Freya Begley | 7 | Aoife Higgins |
| Heidi Watson | 8 | Alice Clarke |
| Jane Hanley | 9 | Jessica Reynolds |
| Juno Hayes | 10 | Eabha Daffy |
| Katelyn Joyce | 11 | Sophia Sweeney |
| Laura Pyne | 12 | Niamh Barrett |
| Rebecca Tighe | 13 | Cass O’Dowd Hill |
| Roisin McGough | 14 | Aoife Fadian |
| Blanka Buknicz | 15 | Niamh Gormley |
| Sophie Golden | 16 | Elizabeth Hodson |
| Niamh Melia | 17 | Lily McArdle |
| Sarah Murphy (C) | 18 | Isabella DeSalle |
| Alanna Marie Ward | 19 | Ava Lauren McHale |
| Rachelle Angland | 20 | Laura Connolly |
| Aimee Duffy | 21 | |
Tuam/Oughterard
Coaches: Jean Wynne, Mika Atonio, Norman Tierney
Managers: Miriam Durand, Lorraine Bodkin
U16 GIRLS CUP FINAL
| SLIGO RFC | BALLINA RFC | |
| Mimi Lee | 1 | Ellie Gaughan |
| Lauren Hunter | 2 | Leah Hopkins |
| Maya Donaghy | 3 | Aoife Kelly |
| Shauna Williams McDermott | 4 | Eimear Foody |
| Sara Mostafa | 5 | Ella Egan |
| Ciara Kerrigan | 6 | Sofia Reynolds |
| Ellen Hunter | 7 | Aisling Lynott |
| Grace O’Connor | 8 | Ailish Quinn (C) |
| Treasa O’Kelly-Lynch | 9 | Ava Golden |
| Ailbhe O’Rourke | 10 | Grainne Moran |
| Lara Clinch | 11 | Nina Roberts |
| Xena Morgan | 12 | Emily Foley |
| Rebecca Doherty | 13 | Emer Collins |
| Alanna Connolly | 14 | Michaela Mullaney |
| Orna Murphy | 15 | Carla Norton |
| Lily Barber | 16 | Abbey Barrett |
| Caragh Cooke | 17 | Chloe Curran |
| Melissa Higgins | 18 | Niamh Boyce |
| Ellen McGourty | 19 | Zoe Fox |
| Una Efondo | 20 | Clodagh Kirrane |
| Sadhbh Hanley | 21 | Emma Tolan |
| Saoirse Lawley | 22 | Chloe Anderson |
| Mollie Ronan | 23 | Jane Gilvarry |
Sligo Extended Squad
Jace Maxwell, Louise Robertson, Sophie Swann, Brooke Deighton, Caoimhe Duffy, Roisin Gormley, Anna Raftery, Eva White, Paula Ruz
Ballina Extended Squad
Tori McHale, Chloe Gaughan, Aoibheann Gallagher, Ava Dooley, Emily Mescal, Emma Murphy, Ibone Solano, Caoimhe O’Hara
Coaches: John Golden, Colin Reynolds, Shannon Moyles, Declan Murphy, Stephen Lacken
U18 GIRLS CUP FINAL
| CREGGS RFC | SLIGO RFC | |
| Ella Brady | 1 | Ellie Filan |
| Nadine Fitzmaurice | 2 | Claire Keegan |
| Roisin Maher (JC) | 3 | Aisling Feely |
| Caoimhe Walsh | 4 | Poppy Garvey |
| Rachel McDonald | 5 | Aimee Smyth |
| Jemima Adams Verling | 6 | Kate Brady |
| Eadaoin Walsh | 7 | Enya Hughes |
| Gabrielle Kilcommins | 8 | Giselle Gallagher |
| Aoibhinn Murray | 9 | Nessa O’Sullivan |
| Eabha Dowd (JC) | 10 | Aoife Gormley |
| Jennifer Morris | 11 | Sarah Maye |
| Sarah Purcell | 12 | Cliodhna O’Sullivan |
| Megan Donohue | 13 | Emma Cox |
| Maryanne Jordan | 14 | Maeve Donlon |
| Rachel Gormley | 15 | Cria Flanagan |
| Emily Murray | 16 | Siobra O’Callaghan |
| Eabha Conroy | 17 | Emma O’Carroll |
| Grace Scanlon | 18 | Jenny Cregg |
| Grace Hanley | 19 | Briana Gawley |
| Jean O’Boyle | 20 | Ciara O’Conallain |
| Julie Ann Fahy | 21 | Genevieve Griffith |
| Michaela Gillooly | 22 | Roisin Grennan |
| Roisin Shanagher | 23 | Chloe Earley |
Creggs Extended Squad
Faye Loftus, Stacey Corbally, Mya Grogan, Erin McDermott, Ciara Boyle
Coaches: Dave Purcell, Michael Glennon, Yvonne Lambe, Ciaran Purcell
Manager: Siobhan Purcell
As announced earlier this summer, the following global law trials will apply to all rugby competitions beginning on or after 1st August 2021.
50:22: If the team in possession kicks the ball from inside their own half indirectly into touch inside their opponents’ 22, they will throw into the resultant lineout. The ball cannot be passed or carried back into the defensive half for the 50:22 to be played. The phase must originate inside the defensive half.
Goal line drop-out: If the ball is held up in in-goal, there is a knock-on from an attacking player in in-goal or an attacking kick is grounded by the defenders in their own in-goal, then play restarts with a goal line drop-out anywhere along the goal line.
Flying Wedge: To sanction the three person pre-bound mini-scrum by redefining the flying wedge.
1 man latch: To recognise the potential for 1-player pre-latching prior to contact, but this player must observe all of the requirements for a first arriving player, particularly the need to stay on their feet.
Cleanout and safety of the Jackler: To introduce a sanction for clean outs which target or drop weight onto the lower limbs.
CLICK HERE FOR FURTHER INFO AND EXAMPLES OF THE NEW LAWS IN ACTION
Connacht Rugby in conjunction with Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology are delighted to announce a Summer Talent Programme as part of a new agreement between the two organisations.
Under the new partnership, Connacht’s Summer Player Talent programme has begun at the sports facilities on the GMIT Galway campus, Dublin Road, Galway. The Summer Talent Programme is a 10-week programme which acts as a Training Camp for the Connacht Rugby Under 19s Boys and U18 Boys and Girls squads. The Connacht Women’s team will also be availing of the facilities, as all four squads prepare for the 2021 Interprovincial Series which kick off in August.
The GMIT logo will continue to feature on the front of shirt for the U19 and U18 Boys & Girls squads, demonstrating the commitment and ambition of both organisations to support and develop young talent across the West of Ireland both on and off the field.
GMIT students have enjoyed a history of sport at playing and academic level. GMIT launched a range of sports science programmes in 2016, recently adding a new Masters in Sport and Clinical Biomechanics to complement their existing degrees in Sport and Exercise Science, and in Public Health Nutrition, and their Masters in Strength and Conditioning.
Connacht Rugby’s Head of Rugby Development Joe Gorham says:
“We have been thrilled to partner up with GMIT for this year’s Summer Talent Programme. These training camps are instrumental in the development of our next generation of players, and we are very fortunate to have a campus like GMIT on our doorsteps to help them succeed. We look forward to continue working with GMIT into the future.”
GMIT President Dr Orla Flynn says:
“We are delighted to welcome these talented young players to our Galway campus this summer, and to give them first-hand experience of what GMIT has to offer as they prepare for third level education. Sport is central to our activities in GMIT, and we are proud to be partnering with Connacht Rugby for this summer camp in addition to the various education and research activities we are working on together.”
Pictured at the launch of the 2021 Connacht Rugby / GMIT Summer Talent Programme is President of Connacht Rugby Ann Heneghan, and GMIT President Dr Orla Flynn, with members of the 2021 Summer Talent Programme.
With a growth in the number of girls playing rugby in Connacht, we are delighted to announce the Connacht Rugby’s Women’s U18’s and Women’s Senior Coaches.
Ross Mannion has been appointed Head Coach of the Connacht Rugby Senior Women’s Team, sponsored by Genesys, accompanied by Lyndon Jones as Backs Coach.
Ross was Head Coach of the AIL 2C winning Sligo team, he has worked with Connacht Rugby as a Club and Community Rugby Officer for 10 years and in his current position as Rugby Participation Officer for 2 years.
“I’m delighted with the opportunity to take on this position, I`ve worked with some of the current players many years ago when some of them were starting out on their pathway and have got to know some more through various programs they`ve delivered on these past two years.
The main things that have stood out for me, from these interactions, are their commitment to rugby, be that for club, province or country, and the appetite to learn and better themselves as players. Two fantastic characteristics to have in life never mind in a sporting context, so that really intrigued me as to what the potential is with in the current U18, Emerging Talent and Senior squads.
I hope myself along with all the coaches involved can help all these players reach their potential and fulfil their rugby ambitions or goals.”
Fraser Gow returns as Head Coach of the Connacht Rugby U18’s Team, sponsored by GMIT, alongside Luke O’Donnell as Backs Coach. Fraser expressed his excitement of returning to training and getting back to normal, “First and foremost we are really excited about a return to training, having the ability to get back out on a pitch and un-pause the plans we have in place.”
“It’s fantastic to see examples of players that have been developed by our clubs, progressed through the Connacht pathways and are now playing at the highest level. That is something we should all be extremely proud of but equally motivates us to aid the development of the next crop of talented players out there.”
As Connacht Rugby continue their partnership with Galway-based sports technology services company Clubforce, their Emerging Talent Programme helps bridge the gap between underage and senior level women’s rugby in Connacht.
Clubforce Emerging Talent Head Coach, Emer O’Dowd, is joined by Mary Healy, who has been appointed, Backs, Skills and Attack’s Coach.
Mary Healy adds that despite restrictions, Connacht Rugby aim for this year’s programme to be the most comprehensive yet.
“Every year we’ve always tried to improve and push what we can do in the summer programme. Despite restrictions, we aim for this to be the most comprehensive yet.”
“I’m delighted to be involved with the Clubforce Emerging Talent Squad, I’m looking forward to helping bridge that gap between underage & senior, keeping girls in the game, growing and developing their skills and knowledge so they can take that step up to senior level. My goal and Clubforce’s goal ultimately is to grow participation, this partnership gives us the opportunity to bridge that gap, keep girls in the game and grow and develop them as rugby players.”
Speaking on the appointed coaching team this year, Joe Gorham Head of Domestic Rugby at Connacht Rugby said:
“Absolutely delighted with the appointment of Ross Mannion as Head Coach of the Connacht Women’s Team. Ross, a valued member of the Club & Community team, has an impressive coaching CV built up in the past few seasons and I look forward to seeing him (and his coaching team) bringing the Senior squad to another level.
I am also delighted on the re-appointment of Fraser Gow and his Coaching Team to the Connacht Under 18 Girls squad. Under his leadership, we have made tremendous progress at this level and it is refreshing to see so many young talented girls coming through to the Connacht side from the 4 corners of the 5 counties!
It is fabulous to see that the Clubforce Emerging Talent Programme is ready to get up and running again under the safe hands of Emer O’Dowd and Mary Healy. This sector is vital to the Player Pathway programme for the Women’s Game and huge thanks must go to our valued partners Clubforce for supporting the Talent Programme.
Finally special thanks to our Volunteer Managers of the three squads Natalie Fox & Mark (Barney) Moran. Without their help and assistance, and indeed their passion for Connacht Rugby in general, we would not have made the huge strides that we have made in the past few seasons. Volunteers are the backbone of everything we do in Club & Community. Thank you to every club & school volunteer, we really appreciate all you do for us.”
The Government of Ireland have announced that new public health measures are coming into place in April.
From April 26th, “underage non-contact outdoor training in pods of 15 can recommence for all exercise activities outdoors , subject to public health advice at the time.”
Provisionally, this means only under age sections clubs and schools in the Republic of Ireland will be able to offer non-contact rugby training from that date.
All clubs and schools who wish to resume rugby must have and up-to-date COVID-19 Safety Plan – No Plan, No Play.
On March 23rd, the IRFU and provinces facilitated a #ReadyForRugby Support Webinar on considerations for updating COVID-19 Safety Plans.
A recording of this webinar can be viewed at https://youtu.be/9nQM_q7UBM8
Following clarification from Sport NI and the NI Executive, clubs in Northern Ireland can resume outdoor training in distinct groups of 15 (inclusive of players and coaches) from April 12th.
Further information on permitted activities will be issued to all clubs and schools in due course.
More #ReadyForRugby information can be viewed at https://www.irishrugby.ie/running-your-club/return-to-rugby-for-clubs/
Additional upcoming webinars may assist your club or school in preparing for a resumption of rugby.
#ReadyForRugby Support Webinar 4: An Introduction To Coaching Touch Rugby
Time: Thursday 1st April 2021, 13:00 – 13:30
Registration Link: http://bit.ly/RFR-Web-4
Presenters:
Billy Ngawini (Ireland Touch Association)
IRFU COVID-19 Project Team
Suitable For:
Adult & Age-Grade Coaches
Team Managers
Club Officers & Volunteers
This webinar is designed to help clubs and schools who want to know more about touch rugby as an offering to players for skill development, fitness and fun. It will provide an overview of resources available for first-time coaches of touch rugby.
#ReadyForRugby Support Webinar 5: RugbyConnect Refresher For Administrators
Time: Tuesday 6th April 2021, 13:00 – 13:30
Registration Link: http://bit.ly/RFR-Web-5
Presenters:
Lucy Mulhall (IRFU)
Suitable For:
Club and School Administrators
Club Officers & Volunteers
RugbyConnect is the IRFU’s online administration system for clubs and schools. This webinar will walk through updates to the system and help refresh knowledge for clubs and schools ahead of any return to rugby activity.
