Connacht Team Talk Thread VI - Some like it TOH

Porch and Heffernan had their best outings in many a year tonight. The latter seems to only ever be highlighted online for the odd ropey lineout. You'd wonder what sport folk do be watching.

Great win, wasn't pretty in the first half but much improved second half. Big impact from Dowling and Aungier coming off the bench.

Heffernan has just strung 3 great performances in a row together imo and rightly deserves great praise.

However that doesn't alter the first 3 games of the season where he wasn't great. Lineout malfunctions, maul decisions, defensive lapses and to say a modern lineout is complex is fair enough but not straight is fairly uncomplicated. Hookers get judged in comparison to other hookers who face the same complexities. DTM putting a bit of pressure on is probably good for Heff.

Well done Heff keep it up, playing like an international.

Thought Prendergast put in a big physical 80 as well.

Poor Jack, a few easy ones in front of the posts on a nice dry sunny day would help. Playing good rugby other than the place kicking.

We have being leaking trys for so long it's just nice to see we are not doing that as much anymore. So maybe there are negatives but to see us playing defensively better is a massive start. And kudos to Hawkshaw in that way. Has really improved our central defense which has been underperforming for quite some time.

He has played 7s for Australia, therefore he is surely ineligible for Irish selection? Connacht signed him straight from their 7s squad.

This only applies to players who are either born in those countries or have family ties. It does not count towards players qualifying on residency. Unless Porch has Irish blood, he can't qualify.

Yeah, but I think those players have to be born in, or have recent ancestors from, their new country. Can't qualify on residency for a second country after playing for one, as far as I know.

Porch would have to use the Olympic 7s loophole if the plan was to become IQ.

Thanks for setting me straight, I had just assumed this was the method of qualifying if that's not the case then I have no idea how Porch might qualify for Ireland

Pretty sure it applies for both, and vice versa.

I'd certainly pick several lads before Porch. He's a good player but, I'd definitely prefer Stockdale; Larmour, JOB and RB.

Does anyone think that Hawkshaw is making a challenge to Daly? I think Hawkshaw is a similar type of player to Frawley and has a very good rugby iq. Although, Daly does give the team size in the center.

I think Heffernan will get the 16 jersey v SA. He's playing really well atm. A win this week will put Connacht in a fairly good position. I would expect a win. Connacht will have a strong squad to pick from.

If the document at this link is up to date players can only switch if they were born in the second country or had parents/grandparents from there:

It's part 8.6. It says the player has to satisfy part 8.1 a (born) or b (ancestors).

Am I missing something? Friend and Garry Doyle in his 42 article both seem to think Porch can qualify on residency for Ireland.

As far as I can tell his only route would be to become an Irish citizen and then play for Ireland 7s in a certain number of 7s comps that count towards Olympic qualification. I'm not sure there's time for him to do that before Paris 2024.

Ryan is only on a 3 month contract.

He is not a bad player either. IMO the main reason he was released was because of the need for succession planning.

With Archer injured and needing surgery it makes sense to bring someone in.

Calm down there Syd, no need to go trawling for offense where none was meant.

At the moment none but last year we had squads where the THs had 1 senior appearance between the two of them.

I don't mind munster getting the replacements, just highlighting how difficult it is for connacht to compete with the richer provinces on this island.

And Farells case would have been known about in advance so that should have been planned for, but a player of Morris's quality available at low wages is a good signing.