Connacht players on international duty

CONNACHT players will be looking to leave their mark on the IRB Junior World Championship in New Zealand as Ireland U20s face the ‘old enemy’, England, the defending champions, on Sunday (6.05am Irish time).

Galwegians and Connacht winger, Ciarán Gaffney, has already lit-up the World stage, landing a class try in his third start in the competition, against Fiji in Ireland’s final pool game. The try by Gaffney, a former ‘Bish’ and Roscrea player, set Ireland up for the bonus point victory, which ensured a spot in the last four.

Connacht flanker Rory Moloney, a Bucaneers club man, also featured, while Galway City man Dylan Donnellan is a replacement hooker in the squad. Donnellan, whose family own Gemelle’s restaurant on Quay Street in the city, is currently plying his trade with Leinster Academy and UCD.

Two other Connacht players on duty abroad this week were Kieran Marmion and Rodney Ah You, who both made their Ireland senior debuts from the bench in a test match against Argentina on Saturday.

Marmion played 20 minutes replacing Conor Murray at scrum-half, while Ah You came on for Mike Ross in the front-row with about 10 minutes to go in the 29-17 win. Meanwhile, Pat Lam’s men will play home and away against Exeter Chiefs, Bayonne and La Rochelle in Pool 2 games of the second-tier European Cup competition next season.

Full report in this week’s GalwayCity Tribune