GALWAY NATIVE SHANE Jennings has renewed his Connacht contract for next season.
Jennings graduated from the Connacht Academy in 2022 and has made 11 appearances for the province, starting their last three games in the back three.
The 23-year-old emerged through the Connacht pathway system at Garbally College and Ballinasloe RFC, while he has also represented Buccaneers RFC.
“We’ve all been really impressed by Shane’s impact at the club, particularly in the last month or so,” stated Connacht Rugby in today’s announcement.
“An excellent ball carrier with the ability to generate tough yards through contact, he gives nothing less than 100% in every game he plays. We’re all excited about his potential.”
I find it mad that a homegrown talent like Jennings gets a one year deal while a journeyman like Ralston etc get two year deals. Makes no sense.
@Barry McGarry: Ralston has played considerably more times for Connacht than Jennings while being close to the same age, so it isn’t really that surprising. It is up to Jennings to prove he ought to be a starter for the team, and while he is definitely not the finished article, I think he has shown great potential, and if he proves himself more next year he will likely get a longer contract. Ralston is hardly a journeyman either – he played for Western Force and Connacht, that’s it, plus is IQ. For that reason we could call Hansen or Bundee journeymen too.
@JoeVlogs: a journeyman is “a worker or sports player who is reliable but not outstanding”. I’d argue Bundee and Hansen are outstanding. Ralston not so much. If Connacht want to give more favourable contracts terms to those not developed by the province, that’s their prerogative
@Barry McGarry: ah, misunderstood the reference to journeyman. I agree in part, but I also think there is need for depth, and Ralston is a key part of that. Ralston might not have the same ceiling as Hansen or even perhaps Jennings in time, but he is a strong player in his own right, and definitely helps with depth. I’d reckon he is a more complete player than Andrew Smith who also got a contract but I feel is suspect in defence and a little greedy in attack. Forde, Jennings and Gavin all got contracts and were developed by the academy, so I think striking the balance between squad players and useful utility players is key. We don’t have the budget for more than a few Hansens and Corderos, nor the player pool to fill our academy with only Connacht born talent.
@Barry McGarry: can you call a 23-year-old who’s been with the province for less than two years a journeyman?
..Good for him, he might want to forget last week’s performance, but mebbe he was playing out of position?