The Connacht squad have been out and about these past few weeks as part of the Centra Summer Camps.
Gavin Duffy and Michael Swift visited the Try Rugby Summer Camp in Ballina. The Summer Camps are sponsored by Centra and are run by the Connacht Branch to provide an introduction to rugby for children from 6 to 12 years old.
The Camps are coached by fully accredited IRFU qualified coaches and introduce skills such as passing, kicking, tackling and teamwork in a fun and safe environment. (more…)
Connacht’s newest signing, Ezra Taylor, has arrived in Galway to join up with Eric Elwood’s squad for pre-season training.
Taylor replaces the departing George Naoupu and Connacht fans will hope he can make a similar style impact from the outset of the new campaign, especially now that John Muldoon is expected to miss the opening weeks of the campaign with an injury picked up placing for Ireland against New Zealand in June.
Caption: Connacht’s Tim Allnutt presented new signing Ezra Taylor with his Connacht jersey at the Sportsground, Galway today. (more…)
The Irish Times reported on Friday that Queensland Reds reds backrow player Ezra Taylor (pic) has signed for Connacht. 
The Australian born New Zealander will be the replacement for George Naoupu who is Japan bound.
Taylor has four years experience in the Super 14 with Queensland Reds and Otago Highlanders
He played eight times for the Reds in an injury disrupted season last year and had seven appearances this season including a number in the lock position. (more…)
Connacht have appointed former Great Britain rugby league player Mike Forshaw as defence coach.
The 40-year old will join Connacht for the new season after a career which also included a spell in rugby union for Saracens.
He has become the third new addition to the Connacht back room team for next season swelling the management team from four to six for the campaign ahead.
Brian Melrose will be backs coach, Conor McPhilips video analyst while Forshaw is now in as a defence coach with Dan McFarland stepping up to the Assistant role and of course Eric Elwood heading the team. (more…)
The draw for the composition of the five Pools of four teams for the 2010/11 Amlin Challenge Cup tournament was made in Dublin today (Wednesday, 9 June).
Double tournament winners Sale Sharks, who claimed the title in 2002 and 2005, were drawn in Pool 2 where they will face 1997 Heineken Cup winners and 1998 beaten finalists Brive, Italian side Petrarca Rugby and Spanish outfit Cetransa El Salvador when the competition kicks-off in early October. (more…)
A selection of Connacht talent will be putting on the green of Ireland this weekend adding to the positive vibes coming out of the province in the past few months.
John Muldoon (pic) and Sean Cronin are heading down-under this summer and that news was augmented somewhat yesterday when Gavin Duffy was given a starting role for Ireland’s clash with the Barbarians this Friday in Limerick alongside the two traveling squad members.
Then on Saturday night in the Sante Fe city of Rosario – which is three and a half hours north east of Buenos Aires – Eoin Griffin and Tiernan O’Halloran will start for the Irish Under 20 World Cup squad against France. (more…)
Next year’s four Provincial Junior League Champions will gain automatic promotion to the AIL under the new structures announced by the IRFU yesterday.
For the 2011/12 season the league will be increased from 48 to 52 teams to accommodate new structures which will see ten teams in Division 1a and 1b, and 16 teams in the next two tiers to be renamed Division 2a and 2b. (more…)
A lot will change come the start of the news season but a lot will stay the same also. In an unprecedented move for the province Connacht’s new head coach Eric Elwood and his assistant coach Dan McFarland have manage to retain almost the entire squad for the new campaign with the one notable exception being George Naoupu. 
A total of 29 members of the current squad will return next season with cover for the front row and a major signing at eight to replace the Kiwi Naoupu who heads to Japan for a lucrative deal in their top flight league.
The faith is clearly being shown in the young squad that took Connacht within one step of their first ever major European final. (more…)
A Podcast special this week. On Tuesday we sat down with former Heineken Cup winner Peter Bracken and 12 time Irish international Paco Fitzgerald to discuss scrummaging in Ireland. 
The duo will be coaching at the Peter Bracken organised Summer scrum camps from Youth Rugby players tarting next month and full details can be found on thescrumdoctor.com where you can also find details of the scrum clinics for clubs and individuals.
Bracken (32) still hopes to be playing at the top level next season contract permitting, he was part of the Dragons Heineken Cup squad this season on a temporary contract and has played at Connacht, Bristol, Harlequins and Wasps (where he won a Heineken Cup medal). (more…)
Podcast Special: The Scrum :
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At the Connacht rugby awards last weekend we caught up with Michael Swift before the ceremony where he was confirmed as player’s player of the season. 
The big Connacht second row who joined Galwegians from Richmond in 2000 and subsequently linked up with Connacht that same year, will begin his eleventh season with the province in August but has a foot injury to overcome in the mean time.
His try against Leinster was one of the highlights of the season for Connacht and will live long in the memory.
