DB CONvZEB EDIT URC Digital Match Programme

PRESIDENT’s
WELCOME
THank You To Our Partners for
their continued support
To all supporters,
I’m delighted to welcome you to
Dexcom Stadium today for our latest
BKT United Rugby Championship fixture
against Zebre Parma from Italy. I hope
you have a pleasant and enjoyable
evening at the home of rugby in
Connacht.
Today marks the start of the ‘Race to
the Eight’, with Connacht competing
with the other teams in a tightly
contested league for a place in the endof-season
playoffs, and with it a spot
in next season’s Champions Cup. There
are just 5 games remaining and this is
our 2nd last home game of the season,
so every point counts between now and
the end of May.
Stadium Partner
Official Partners
Principal Partner
As is the case in sport there have
been ups and downs so we last spoke.
Undoubtedly the highlight was a
fabulous win away in Pau in the Round
of 16 in the Challenge Cup. Away
wins in knockout rugby are very rare
but the team put together a brilliant
performance for the huge numbers of
travelling supporters.
While they came up second best against
a strong Benetton team a week later in
roasting hot conditions, they should be
proud of their performances of the last
few weeks which has included 3 long
trips to France and Italy.
make great strides in the Six Nations this
year. They have a tough trip to England
this week but the result against Wales
last weekend was very encouraging,
particularly the performances of the
Connacht contingent. We wish them well
for the remainder of the campaign.
Dexcom Stadium has been awash with
activity the last few weeks with a plethora
of club and schools finals. They continue
tomorrow with the first set of Bank of
Ireland Boys Cup Final, so why not pop in
if you’re around? The stars of the future
would love the support.
Visitors to the ground will see huge
strides made in the redevelopment
work on the old side pitch, which will
soon become the venue of our new
high performance centre. Every time
we drive down College Road we’re
reminded of the exciting days we have
ahead of us as a club.
The Irish Women’s team continue to
Finally I’d like to welcome Zebre to the
West of Ireland. We hope you have a safe
and enjoyable few days here in Galway and
we look forward to returning the favour
next season in Parma.
Connachta Abú!
Michael O’Hehir
Connacht Rugby President, 2023/24
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partnership news
Bank of Ireland today announced a five-
Bank of Ireland this week announced a
5-year extension of its partnership with
Connacht Rugby to run until 2028.
The Bank has an association with the
province dating back to 2018, and today’s
announcement reaffirms the Bank’s
commitment to the game.
The enhanced partnership agreement,
building on the recently announced national
partnership with the Irish Rugby Football
Union, will see Bank of Ireland extend
its support for both the Connacht Men’s
and Women’s teams, as well as a range of
grassroots competitions across the various
age grade competitions in Connacht.
The new agreement represents the most
comprehensive partnership of Men’s and
Women’s sport in Ireland, representing
a significant investment by the Bank in
ensuring that rugby continues to thrive all
over the island of Ireland. It will see Bank
of Ireland deepen its support for Connacht
Rugby and the other provinces at all levels
of the game.
It is further strengthened by the Bank’s
ongoing commitment to the growth of
domestic rugby competitions including the
Connacht Men’s and Women’s League, Cup
and Plate competitions. Underage rugby
is a key feature of this agreement with
Bank of Ireland continuing to support the
Boys’ and Girls’ Cup competitions across
a range of age grades which will continue
to make a positive contribution to sporting
communities in Connacht.
Speaking at the official launch of the
Connacht Rugby sponsorship extension,
Laura Lynch, Bank of Ireland Chief Marketing
Officer said: “Bank of Ireland’s commitment
to supporting Connacht Rugby has steadily
grown since 2018, and we are thrilled to
extend our Connacht Rugby partnership
for another five years. It’s an exciting
time for rugby in the province, with major
developments currently underway, and we
are thrilled to be part of this growth story
for another five-years.”
“Through our sponsorship we aim to support
the growth and development of the game,
building on existing successes and ensuring
that players from all over the island of
Ireland, from local schools and clubs all the
way up to the men’s and women’s provincial
and national sides have every opportunity to
#neverstopcompeting.”
Willie Ruane, CEO of Connacht Rugby said;
“This is a significant year for investment into
Connacht Rugby, and the welcome support
of our longstanding partners is crucial to
the future success of rugby in the west
of Ireland. We welcome Bank of Ireland’s
continued support of rugby in Connacht,
from the grassroots all the way up to the
Senior sides. With the Bank’s support, we
look forward to making further investments
in our player pathways and Professional
and Women’s squads, that will help drive
the growth of rugby across the province for
years to come.”
For further information visit www.
bankofireland.com and www.connachtrugby.
ie.

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Player PREVIEW
“I just love playing and being out
on the pitch with the lads”
“The big games like these are the
games you want to play in”
“There’s a buzz in these games that
just give you that extra kick”
“From previous interpro derbies
you have to take a quick moment
and look around just to see what
size the crowd is”
“I know it gets said a lot but a full
house at The Sportsground and
the crowd doing their thing really
makes you think you’re plaiying in
front of three or four times more
people in he stands than what there
is”
The last five meeting between these
two teams have seen very little in
the outcome and no doubt today’s
game will be a huge battle.
“Munster are coming up here as
defending champions”
“They have a lot of injuries but they
have a strong squad and players just
waiting to take their chance”
“We’re confident against any team
we play but we also respect every
team we play”
Having joined in the 2022/23
season, Shamus Hurley-Langton
has become a fan favourite
around The Sportsground and a
coach and players dream to work
with during his time out west.
Also known as ‘Moose’, our kiwi
flanker continues to grow in the
green jersey.
“I’ve really enjoyed my time here”
“I came over here wanting to
play but I knew I needed to prove
myself and take my chance when
it came”
“That drive still continues for me
though”
“Each week I need keep proving
myself and make sure I perform
when I get the chance”
“We have a lot of quality players in
the back row and that really helps
the competition and keeping us all
on our toes”
Having played 28 times for
Connacht so far and scoring five
tries (three this season), Moose is
looking forward to this inetrpro
derby on New Years Day.

PLAYER PREVIEW
The current Connacht squad has
plenty of talent to choose from,
especially the younger group who
come from the province like Cathal
Forde, Darragh Murray and Matthew
and Shane. A group that have got to
gel coming up through the ranks.
“Myself, Mattie (Devine) and Colm
(Reilly) all grew up together and went
to the same school” said Jennings
contract with the club. He spoke
about becoming a professional.
“I was delighted to sign my first
contract”
“There was a lot of hard work to get
here”
“I’ve been playing since I was four or
five”
Ballinasloe is a town in East Galway
that has plenty to be proud of, one
of many being the number of players
they have invloved with Connacht
Rugby and the Irish Rugby women’s
squad.
On the international front, recent
weeks have seen Beibhinn Parsons and
Méabh Deely pull on the green jersey
for Ireland in the Six Nations while
Matthew Devine, Shane Jennings and
Oisin McCormack represent the town
in Pete Wilkins squad.
Last Sunday in Treviso, Shane Jennings
started on the wing while Matthew
came on at scrum half. The two men
spoke to media today as Connacht
get ready for Zebre this Saturday at
Dexcom Stadium (Tickets on sale).
“Sunday was tough to take but
thankfully we have a chance to play
again this weekend and show what
we’re about” said Devine
Shane Jennings also gave his view on
the game in Italy.
“It was was very hot and not ideal for a
man of my complextion”
“We were disappointed with the result
obvisouly”
“We know there’s so much more we
could have done better in that game
but the game is gone now”
“If we look at the positives though,
coming away from Benetton with four
tries is good going”
“Cathal (Forde) and Darragh (Murray)
we have been playing with since we
were sixteen”
“We’ve gone from fighting with each
other at minis and the whole way up
throught the underage ranks, we
are very good mates and it is very
enjoyable to play alongside them”
Last week it was announced that
Matthew signed his first professional
“Dad got me into playing the game
and I loved it”
“When you get to that stage of
playing U18/19 with Connacht and
then play with the Irish underage
teams you start to think that this is
a path I can go down”
“I’m grateful that I have got this
chance and look forward to it”

Pro team PROFILES
bundee
aki
Centre
jack
aungier
Prop
finlay
bealham
Prop
Caolin
blade
Scrum Half
shayne
bolton
Back Three
Paul
boyle
Back Row
denis
buckley
Prop
Eoin
de buitlear
Hooker
matthew
burke
Prop
Jarrad
Butler
Back Row
Jack
carty
Out Half
santiago
cordero
Back Three
tom
daly
Centre
peter
dooley
Prop
OISIN
DOWLING
Second Row
jordan
duggan
Prop
tom
farrell
Centre
CATHAL
FORDE
Centre

Pro team PROFILES
jj
hanrahan
Out Half
mack
hansen
Back Three
David
hawkshaw
Out Half /
Centre
dave
heffernan
Hooker
SHAMUS
HURLEY-
LANGTON
Back Row
sam
illo
Prop
sean
jansen
Back Row
shane
jennings
Centre/
Back Three
Joe
joyce
Second Row
Diarmuid
Kilgallen
Back Three
oisin
mccormack
Back Row
Michael
Mcdonald
Scrum Half
Tadhg
mcelroy
Hooker
Liam
Mcnamara
Back Three
oran
mcnulty
Back Three
DarragH
Murray
Second Row
Niall
Murray
Second Row
SEAN
O’BRIEN
Back Row

Pro team PROFILES
tiernan
o’halloran
Back Three
conor
oliver
Back Row
john
porch
Back Three
Cian
prendergast
Back Row
Byron
Ralston
Centre/Back
Three
Colm
Reilly
Scrum Half
Official partners
Dominic
Robertsonmccoy
Prop
ANDREW
SMITH
Back Three
Gavin
Thornbury
Second Row
of Connacht Rugby
Dylan
Tierney-martin
Hooker
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Pro team MANAGEMENT
ACADEMY MANAGEMENT
Tim
Allnutt
Director of
Rugby
Operations
pete
wilkins
Head Coach
Colm
tucker
Scrum &
Contact Coach
Eric
Elwood
Academy
Manager
ANdrew
Browne
Elite Player
Development
Officer
MORGAN
Codyre
Elite Player
Development
Officer
JOHN
MULDOON
Lineout &
Maul Coach
Mark
sexton
Assistant Attack
& Skills Coach
Scott
Fardy
Defence
Coach
Mervyn
Murphy
Provincial Talent
Coach
Sebastian
Delport
Provincial Talent
Coach
Andrew
Murphy
Head of Athletic
Development
Simon
Kavanagh
Senior
Video Analyst
Mikey
KIELY
Head of Athletic
Performance
David
Hanly
Head of
Physiotherapy
Mark
Gallagher
Lead
Physiotherapist
Alan
Doonan
Performance
Analyst
niall
brady
Performance
Nutritionist
Martin
Joyce
Logistics
Manager
Gavin
Rackard
Performance
Nutritionist
Barry
o’BRIEN
Senior S&C
Coach
Micheal
Devane
S&C
Coach
lARISSA
MULDOON
Female
Provincial
Talent Coach
ANN
CAFFREY
Female Athletic
Development
Coach
michael
o’driscoll
S&C
Coach
Oisin
O’Dalaigh
Asst.
Performance
Analyst
Kevin
O’Brien
Physiotherapist
Aidan
O’Flynn
Personal
Development
Chloe
Mccrann
Rugby
Operations
Executive
Deirdre
Lyons
Player
Development
Manager
mitchell
ward
Physiotherapist
Stephen
Long
Communications
Manager
deirdre
lyons
Player
Development
Manager

ACADEMY PROFILES
fiachna
barrett
Prop
john
devine
Centre
Matthew
devine
Scrum Half
Connacht rugby
business club
hugh
gavin
Centre
daniel
hawkshaw
Centre
shane
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Back Three
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Centre
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Hooker
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Prop
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Out Half
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CLUB & COMMUNITY
This Sunday, 21st April sees the next
round of Bank of Ireland Club and
Schools finals in Dexcom Stadium
with the Youth Boys Cup Finals.
The U14 Boys’ Cup Final will take place
at 12:00 PM followed by the U16 Boys’
Cup Final at 1:30 PM and the U18.5
Boys’ Cup Final at 3:30 PM.
The first final of the day is the Bank of
Ireland U14 Boys’ Cup Final which will
see Ballinasloe RFC take on last year’s
U13 Cup runners-up, Creggs RFC. The
two sides met in early October in the
U14 League where Ballinasloe seized a
decisive victory. However, both teams
finished top 3 in Division 1, proving to
both be extremely competitive sides and
they faced off again in the league final in
Dubarry Park.
Ballinasloe once again claimed the
victory, but Creggs made it a lot more
difficult, keeping them within 5 points.
Creggs were drawn into Pool A for the
Cup while Ballinasloe were in Pool B,
meaning the sides have not faced off on
the pitch since the League final.
Both teams were very impressive in the
cup with clean slates. Creggs saw a
strong Carrick on Shannon RFC side in
their away semi-final where they came
out with an impressive 29-17 win to see
them into the Cup final. Ballinasloe,
meanwhile, faced Corinthians RFC
in their away semi-final where they
cemented their spot in the final with a
39-7 win. Sure to be an electric final,
make sure to get your ticket ahead of
time. The Bank of Ireland U14 Boys’ Cup
Final is at 12:00 PM on Sun, 21st April in
Dexcom Stadium.
The second final of the day will see the
first of a Buccaneers RFC vs Sligo Rugby
double header in the Bank of Ireland
U16 Boys’ Cup Final. Buccaneers,
having had players involved in both the
U15 and U16 Cup winning teams last
year, will be veterans in the workings
of finals days in Dexcom Stadium.
Buccaneers fielded two teams in the
U16 league – Buccaneers Black finished
2nd in Division 1 and ended up winning
the Division 1 League final against
an incredibly strong Creggs White
side after a semi-final win against an
impressive Galway Bay side.
Buccaneers Yellow finished 3rd in
Division 2 Pool B. In an incredible Cup
campaign across the board, Buccaneers
faced a talented Carrick on Shannon
RFC side in their away semi-final with a
thrilling 19-12 win. Sligo just missed out
on the Division 1 final after an 8-7 loss
to Creggs White. Coming back even
stronger in the Cup campaign, Sligo
only recorded 1 loss against Creggs
and went on to win their away semifinal
against Corinthians with an 18-14
victory. Two very exciting young teams
who are sure to show amazing displays
of rugby, Sunday’s final is a game not
to be missed. The Bank of Ireland U16
Boys’ Cup Final is at 1:30 PM on Sun,
21st April in Dexcom Stadium.
The third, and last, final of the day
will once again see Buccaneers RFC
take on last year’s U18 Cup winners
Sligo Rugby in a rematch of the Bank
of Ireland U18.5 Boys’ Cup Final. Both
Buccaneers and Sligo finished in the
middle of the table with Buccaneers just
missing out on a league final with a 28-
23 away semi-final loss to Galwegians
RFC. Both teams turned their results
around, both keeping clean slates in
the Cup campaign.
Buccaneers recorded wins over Tuam/
Dunmore RFC and Carrick on Shannon
RFC while Sligo overcame Westport
RFC and Loughrea RFC. Buccaneers
faced Ballina RFC in a thriller of a Cup
semi-final which ended with a scoreline
of 13-13 after the final whistle with
the decider coming down to first try
scorers. Sligo saw Galwegians in their
home semi-final where they showed
their skills, coming away with a 19-15
win. No strangers to each other, this
is sure to be a fabulous game of rugby
by the two sides in what will be a hotly
contested final. The Bank of Ireland
U18.5 Boys’ Cup Final is at 3:30 PM on
Sun, 21st April in Dexcom Stadium.
Fans are encouraged to buy their
tickets in advance as all 2024 finals will
be cashless. Tickets can be purchased
here.

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