Poaching begins of Connacht's top players

Date Published: 16-Dec-2010

Dara Bradley

CONNACHT Academy graduate Ronan Loughney will make his 70th appearance for his province this Friday evening when Connacht look to reverse last week’s defeat to Harlequins when they host the Londoners in the return leg of the Amlin Challenge Cup at the Sportsground (7pm).

Connacht Coach Eric Elwood has made two changes to the side that was defeated 20-9 against the Aviva Premiership outfit at the Twickenham Stoop last weekend as he attempts to get the 2010/2011 campaign back on track by securing his first win in five competitive matches since mid-October.

Galway native Loughney will start in the front row replacing the injured Brett Wilkinson. Darragh Fanning is include in place of Brian Tuohy, who drops to the bench. Fanning, formerly of St Marys College, has impressed selectors with his pace and physicality in training and has appeared in seven of Connacht’s games so far this year.

The back-drop to preparations for tonight’s clash is far from ideal – it now looks certain that three of Connacht’s top players will be transferring to Munster and Leinster next season. Connacht’s first choice out-half, Ian Keatley, who retains his place for the Harlequins match, has been linked with a shock move to Munster at the end of the season.

Ireland international and Connacht hooker Sean Cronin and Fionn Carr, the province’s second top try scorer, are both being linked with a move to Leinster. News about the top two province’s poaching Connacht’s most talented players comes less than a fortnight after the Connacht Branch and IRFU agreed a new pathway for the club’s development, which was supposed to see a movement of young fringe players from Munster, Leinster and Ulster moving west to get more game time.

Yesterday Connacht Rugby CEO Gerry Kelly confirmed that Carr, Keatley, and Cronin are in discussions with Leinster and Munster with a view to transferring. No deals have been signed yet but he said it looks increasingly likely that Connacht will be unable to keep the trio.

A fourth unnamed player had also been linked with a transfer to Leinster but the player in question is understood to have committed to Connacht instead.