AS WORK CONTINUES on building the new high performance centre, indoor training pitch, and North Stand at their Dexcom Stadium, Connacht are hoping to take big strides forward on the pitch this season.
Pete Wilkins’ men finished 11th in the URC in 2023/24, meaning they’ll be playing in the Challenge Cup this time around, with pool games against Zebre, Perpignan, Lyon, and Cardiff to come when that competition kicks off in December.
Before that, the westerners are looking for a fast start in the URC as they prepare for their opener against Munster on Saturday week at Thomond Park.
There has been plenty of change to Connacht’s senior squad this summer, with long-serving players like Tiernan O’Halloran, Jarrad Butler, and Tom Farrell among those to say their goodbyes.
Connacht have made six new signings, welcomed Josh Murphy back after he missed last season, and promoted three players from their academy.
Having looked at Munster’s squad for 2024/25 yesterday, this piece examines Connacht’s options ahead of the new campaign.
Included in brackets after each player’s name is their age and number of Connacht caps in the format [age, caps]. Players have been listed in the order of their number of caps.
Loosehead prop
- Denis Buckley [34, 248]
- Jordan Duggan [26, 49]
- Peter Dooley [30, 37]
- Temi Lasisi [23, 0]
248 caps and counting. Denis Buckley continues to be a key man for Connacht 13 years on from his debut. The 34-year-old never got international recognition but he remains a strong performer for his province. Connacht have an option to trigger another season on Buckley’s contract beyond this upcoming campaign so he will be aiming to prove he has plenty left in the tank.
Peter Dooley joined Connacht from his native Leinster in 2022 with the hope that increased game time would help him push into the Ireland mix but that hasn’t happened yet, so the 30-year-old is sure to be highly motivated coming into this season.
26-year-old Jordan Duggan, meanwhile, will be aiming to push past that more experienced duo to rack up more starts for the westerners having made three last season.
New signing Temi Lasisi has been playing at tighthead in recent seasons during his time with Leinster’s academy, but he previously impressed for the Ireland U20s at loosehead. The Wexford man came on at loosehead in the pre-season win over Sale and his versatility could be useful.
Connacht have released Matthew Burke after two injury-ruined seasons, while academy loosehead Oisin Michel moved on without making a senior appearance.
Hooker
- Dave Heffernan [33, 200]
- Dylan Tierney-Martin [25, 36]
- Eoin de Buitléar [22, 7]
- Adam McBurney [27, 0]
Tadgh McElroy is another player who left in the summer despite playing 13 times last season, making way for new hooker signing Adam McBurney, who came through in Ulster before three years with Edinburgh.
Despite being Scottish-qualified, the confrontational McBurney wasn’t ‘captured’ by the Scots and remains qualified for his native Ireland.
His job will be to battle past stalwart Dave Heffernan, who has reached the 200 cap mark for Connacht and spent a week with Ireland in South Africa during the summer as injury cover. Former back row Heffernan is a mobile, skillful operator.
The aggressive Dylan Tierney-Martin brings excellent defensive breakdown skills to the mix and at 25, the Galway man will probably feel like his time to step up as the starting hooker is coming. An Cheathrú Rua native Eoin de Buitléar is another homegrown option and he’ll be looking to build on his first start for Connacht last season.
Tighthead prop
- Finlay Bealham [32, 204]
- Jack Aungier [25, 67]
- Sam Illo [23, 22]
While some of the flashier players in the backline get more of the headlines, Finlay Bealham is the kind of player who makes Connacht tick. He is a pivotal figure for the westerners at tighthead, while his importance to Ireland has grown in the last couple of years.
Jack Aungier has become the trusted back-up to Bealham and is delivering more consistent performances as he continues to learn from the Ireland international.
Connacht will hope to see Sam Illo and new signing Temi Lasisi – who also plays loosehead – make their mark when opportunities arise. Both 23-year-olds are big and powerful so they have the physical attributes to do so.
30-year-old Dominic Robertson-McCoy moved on during the summer after eight years with Connacht.
Second row
- Niall Murray [24, 75]
- Oisín Dowling [27, 59]
- Darragh Murray [23, 25]
- Joe Joyce [30, 21]
- David O’Connor [29, 0]
30-year-old Gavin Thornbury left at the end of last season after nearly three years of cruel injury problems, having been such an important figure for the province before that unlucky run.
29-year-old David O’Connor has joined Connacht this season, having previously played for Ulster before a spell with Ealing in England. O’Connor can also play at blindside flanker, from where he scored a try in Connacht’s pre-season win over Glasgow.
Returning to the Connacht squad is Josh Murphy, who took last season out of pro rugby to complete a medical internship while also playing in the AIL with Clontarf. Having the abrasive Murphy back is a big boost for Connacht and while he is an excellent blindside flanker, he has played lots of rugby as a second row too.
It remains to be seen how Connacht use Murphy but they have four other locks in their squad in the Murray brothers, Niall and Darragh, as well as the experienced Joe Joyce and Oisín Dowling.
Niall Murray is an excellent lineout operator and has impressive pace, while younger brother Darragh is a bigger, enforcer-style lock. The Roscommon men are proud products of the Connacht pipeline.
Irish-qualified lock Joyce had a strong first season with Connacht after joining from Bristol, often leading their lineout, and brings useful grunt in the tight. Joyce was named captain for both of Connacht’s recent pre-season games.
Dowling, meanwhile, is an explosive tackler and can even jackal at the defensive breakdown along with his own lineout skills.
Back row
- Paul Boyle [27, 93]
- Conor Oliver [28, 84]
- Cian Prendergast [24, 68]
- Shamus Hurley-Langton [24, 40]
- Josh Murphy [29, 18]
- Seán O’Brien [24, 9]
- Sean Jansen [25, 8]
- Óisín McCormack [23, 1]
Whatever the composition of Connacht’s first-choice back row this season, Shamus Hurley-Langton looks sure to be part of it. The 24-year-old Kiwi was exceptional in all three back row slots last season, earning the men’s player of the year award in Connacht.
His fellow 24-year-old Cian Prendergast, who is equally versatile, has become a crucial player over the last three seasons and, like Hurley-Langton, possesses a rounded back row skillset, as well as being a fine lineout option. Prendergast will hope another good season catapults him back into the Ireland squad.
There will be ferocious back row competition within Connacht this season, even with the experienced Jarrad Butler having been released at the end of last season.
The hard-nosed Conor Oliver is a classic openside, Paul Boyle is a powerful operator at his best, Sean Jansen is a potent ball-carrying number eight, and Seán O’Brien showed his promise in five starts last season. 23-year-old Óisín McCormack will also be aiming to add to his single Connacht cap.
And then there’s Josh Murphy, the kind of lock/blindside hybrid that is popular in the game right now. In his first season with Connacht before taking a break, Murphy started 11 games in the second row and six at blindside. He was in the number six shirt for the pre-season victory over Sale.
This should be a spicy battle for back row spots.
Scrum-half
- Caolin Blade [30, 192]
- Colm Reilly [24, 27]
- Matthew Devine [22, 5]
- Ben Murphy [23, 0]
Fresh from coming off the bench to help Ireland beat the Springboks in their second Test in July, Caolin Blade will surely be feeling good about his game as the new Connacht season begins.
Blade got off to a flyer in 2023/24 but had to contend with the emergence of academy scrum-half Matthew Devine towards the end of the campaign, with the young Ballinasloe native showing off the thrilling attacking skills that made him such a good Ireland U20 international.
Blade’s experience should be important again for Connacht in 2024/25 but there’s no doubt that Devine, who has moved onto a senior contract, is a major prospect.
Colm Reilly was unlucky last season, an ankle injury sidelining him for three months, but he has continued to mature. Reilly, who also hails from Ballinasloe, has yet to start more than three games in one season with Connacht so has a clear target to beat there.
With Michael McDonald returning to Ulster after his loan spell in the west, Connacht have brought in Ben Murphy from Leinster to make it four senior scrum-halves. Murphy played for Leinster 12 times and is a smart operator at number nine.
Out-half
- Jack Carty [32, 212]
- JJ Hanrahan [32, 19]
- Josh Ioane [29, 0]
With JJ Hanrahan’s ACL injury meaning he will likely be sidelined into early 2025, Connacht felt they had no choice but to recruit in this position. Having failed in a bid to bring Leinster’s Sam Prendergast to Galway on loan, they looked abroad and landed once-capped All Black Josh Ioane on a one-year deal.
The Kiwi playmaker was on fire when he won that Test cap in 2019 but has had a more up-and-down time since with the Highlanders and Chiefs. Still, he is a proven playmaker with plenty of experience and exciting attacking skills that should suit Connacht.
Ioane will compete with the long-serving and loyal Jack Carty, who saw Hanrahan push past him in the number 10 shirt last season. Carty is a skillful player with a strong tactical kicking game and having just turned 32, will be motivated to show he can still be the top dog. He has always been ambitious about relaunching his Ireland career too.
Hanrahan proved to be a fine addition last season before his knee injury and has been working hard to get back on the pitch as soon as possible.
Centre
- Bundee Aki [34, 138]
- Cathal Forde [23, 31]
- Byron Ralston [24, 31]
- David Hawkshaw [25, 30]
- Piers O’Conor [29, 0]
- Hugh Gavin [20, 0]
As with other Ireland internationals, Bundee Aki won’t be available for the opening games of the URC season but Connacht fans will look forward to having his ballast and nous back in their green jersey as soon as possible.
In the meantime, Cathal Forde has become a trusted operator in the number 12 shirt and started both pre-season games in that position, kicking off the tee in the win over Glasgow.
David Hawkshaw is a smart, combative option in both midfield positions and, like Forde, has also played at out-half in the past.
The experienced duo of Tom Farrell and Tom Daly left at the end of last season, the former joining Munster and the latter signing for French Pro D2 side Nice.
The Irish-qualified Piers O’Conor looks like a smart addition from Bristol, where he has impressed in recent years. The 29-year-old is an experienced option at outside centre or fullback, where he has started both pre-season games for Connacht. Wherever he plays, his classy attacking skills are likely to add something.
The other new member of the senior squad is 20-year-old Hugh Gavin, who has been promoted onto a pro contract after two impressive seasons with the Ireland U20s. The powerful Galway man seems likely to play in the centre long-term but can also feature on the wing, from where he delivered a try assist in the pre-season clash with Sale.
Irish-qualified wing Byron Ralston is also comfortable in the number 13 shirt and had one pre-season start there, while the versatile Shane Jennings can play in midfield and across the back three.
Back three
- John Porch [30, 87]
- Mack Hansen [26, 32]
- Shane Jennings [23, 14]
- Shayne Bolton [24, 13]
- Andrew Smith [24, 13]
- Santiago Cordero [30, 2]
- Chay Mullins [22, 0]
There has been plenty of change here with Tiernan O’Halloran retiring, Diarmuid Kilgallen moving to Munster, and Oran McNulty also leaving.
The aforementioned Piers O’Conor has come in from Bristol and started both pre-season games at fullback, providing a strong option there, while Ireland 7s international Chay Mullins has been promoted from the Connacht academy onto a senior contract after showing some of his ability at the Olympics.
The return of Santiago Cordero from his long-term knee injury at the end of last season was very welcome but Connacht have recently seen him recalled by Argentina, meaning he has been away on Rugby Championship duty. They’ll hope his international return delivers a big confidence boost for when he’s back in Galway.
The best news of all in this area is that Mack Hansen is back. He came off the bench in last weekend’s pre-season win over Glasgow, his first appearance of any kind since 1 January of this year when he suffered a shoulder injury.
Whether on the wing or at fullback, the Ireland international tends to light up this Connacht team. Not only is Hansen skillful, evasive, and creative, but also tough. Those attributes are infectious so head coach Wilkins will hope to see as much of Hansen as possible this season.
It might be that Byron Ralston features more at outside centre but the former Force man is also a powerful option on the wing.
Academy:
The latest Connacht academy intake includes two Corinthians RFC men in scrum-half Tomás Farthing and Max Flynn, an explosive back row who made his Ireland U20s debut over the summer.
The other two new faces are loosehead prop Billy Bohan, who came through Newbridge College and Leinster’s underage teams, and back row Éanna McCarthy, who captained CBC Cork and featured in the Munster pipeline. They joined Connacht’s academy after featuring for the Ireland U19s earlier this year.
Year 3 wing Shane Mallon made his senior debut at the end of last season, while centre John Devine – younger brother of Matthew – and versatile back Daniel Hawkshaw – younger brother of David – have featured in this pre-season, along with Year 2 wing/centre Finn Treacy and Year 2 tighthead Fiachna Barrett.
It will be interesting to see if out-halves Seán Naughton and Harry West, who has also played lots at fullback, can push into the senior mix over the coming seasons as Connacht look to build for the future.
Year 1:
- Tomás Farthing [scrum-half]
- Billy Bohan [loosehead prop]
- Max Flynn [back row]
- Éanna McCarthy [back row]
Year 2:
- James Nicholson [back three]
- Finn Treacy [centre/wing]
- Seán Naughton [out-half]
- Matthew Victory [hooker]
- Fiachna Barrett [tighthead prop]
Year 3:
- Shane Mallon [centre/wing]
- John Devine [centre]
- Daniel Hawkshaw [centre]
- Harry West [out-half/fullback]
