Rugby
Connacht lose as Muliaina signs one-year deal
Connacht have landed something of a coup for the 2014/15 season with the news that former All Black star Mils Muliaina is to join the province on a one-year deal as a ‘player-mentor’ to help with the development of the young talent at the province.
Connacht coach Pat Lam – under whom Muliaina played for the Auckland Blues during the 2004/05 season – said the capture of the legendary full-back is part of the process to “help nurture and mentor our young Irish qualified backs on and off the field”.
The news came just two days after the province lost 22-15 at home to Cardiff in their final home game of the 2013/14 Rabo Direct PRO12 season.
They lead 15-3 at the 55 minute mark thanks to tries from Matt Healy and Robbie Henshaw, and five points from the boot of Miah Nikora, but they failed to close out the game and allowed the visitors scored an unanswered 19 points to claim the win. The defeat leaves them ninth in the table of 12 sides ahead of their final game, away to the Ospreys this coming Saturday.