MIKEY KIELY HAS made a switch from Ulster Rugby to Connacht where he has been appointed as the province’s head of athletic performance.
Kiely played a key role as S&C coach with the Limerick hurlers in the 2020 and 2021 seasons when they claimed All-Ireland glory.
He joined Ulster last August as athletic performance coach.
Kiely replaces David Howard, who has stepped aside after five years, in Connacht.
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5th Province very unlikely, Connacht struugle to get the supporters need to be viable, a development side, splitting support from one of the established provinces isnt really viable or wanted by the other 4. A team in England or France is unlikely as the IRFU would have to pay millions to have players released for training camps, only realistic options is either a partnership with someone like Dragons/zebre where young players paid by IRFU can go for gametime and player release in agreed, but would the WRU/FIR be happy that Irish players are developing instead of their own? Most realistic is a partnership with the SRU to relaunch a 3rd Scottish side, Boarders or Caledonian Reds, young Irish players and some senior Scottish ones could make a competitive team. Has existing supporter base.
@Kingshu: I’d be sending those post-Academy young players struggling to get game time to the Southern Hemisphere to get game time on loan. Player release isn’t an issue & they need to experience different environments for skill & personal development. Effectively get them doing what Oli Jager has done in NZ but with the option to bring him back after 2 years
@Graham Ross: But how many SH teams would want them in any numbers, for NZ/SA sides they would say why we giving gametime to young Irish players and not young NZ players, that will stay if they are good? Why invest in something they will not get the end result off. Most SR sides would be similar, maybe they would take 2/3 in total, but thats not really going to make a big difference. MLR team may be an option, somewhere with big Irish population, but that isn’t playing with the big boys.