Will Connors

[bluemagic]

Will Connors is moving to Connacht. Has always impressed me when I’ve seen him play. Leinster academy is becoming a shop win fow for the other provinces.....

[CiaranIrl]

What?!

Jesus, we're seriously short at Openside now.

[OTT]

Another one bites the dust.

Hope he goes well, would have thought there was a fair whack of playing time lined up for him here next season.

[mildlyinterested]

so we have no openside cover?

[LeinsterLeader]

so we have no openside cover?

That's mental! I thought we were bringing him through nicely. I can't figure some of this stuff out

[mildlyinterested]

i imagine leinster arent happy about this..

so right now there are no backrowers in the academy for next season.

[arsebiscuits1]

Wow good scoop for Connacht.

Is this another "we offered him academy, they offered him dev deal"?

Could Doris be looked at at 7? From a pro POV, he's a bit of a blank canvas. From what I've seen of him, he would excel anywhere in the back row.

Same dimensions as Leavy

[mildlyinterested]

im sure he could play 7.. but he isnt an openside..

[arsebiscuits1]

im sure he could play 7.. but he isnt an openside..

But is he not an openside the way SOB isn't an openside?

Similarly, prior to this season I thought Leavy was much more a 6

[mildlyinterested]

im sure he could play 7.. but he isnt an openside..

But is he not an openside the way SOB isn't an openside?

Similarly, prior to this season I thought Leavy was much more a 6

no doris is a ball carrying 6/8.. im sure he could play at 7 but its not a position he has experience with.

well you were wrong leavy was a 7 all the way up and regarded as the most natural breakdown backrow leinster had.

[Dave Cahill]

If this is definite, and theres no reason to assume it isn't, our back row during the AIs/6N could be pretty skinny on experience and specialists

[arsebiscuits1]

im sure he could play 7.. but he isnt an openside..

But is he not an openside the way SOB isn't an openside?

Similarly, prior to this season I thought Leavy was much more a 6

no doris is a 6/8..

well you were wrong leavy was a 7 all the way up and regarded as the most natural breakdown backrow leinster had.

Well obviously I was wrong, he's the standout 7 in Europe currently ha.

But similarly would you consider Jordi a 6/8? I don't think it's too late for Doris to add some strings to his bow

[mildlyinterested]

Well obviously I was wrong, he's the standout 7 in Europe currently ha.

But similarly would you consider Jordi a 6/8? I don't think it's too late for Doris to add some strings to his bow

no i wouldnt consider jordi a 6/8..

doris is not an openside.. simple as that.. he could play there but leinster would be missing the threat at the breakdown a 7 is supposed to bring

[arsebiscuits1]

Well obviously I was wrong, he's the standout 7 in Europe currently ha.

But similarly would you consider Jordi a 6/8? I don't think it's too late for Doris to add some strings to his bow

no i wouldnt consider jordi a 6/8..

doris is not an openside.. simple as that.. he could play there but leinster would be missing the threat at the breakdown a 7 is supposed to bring

Pity, that would solve a lot of problems.

[LeinsterLeader]

If only we'd known this this morning we could have nabbed Michael Hooper!

Its too late now

[neiliog93]

Really bad news for us. He's the best exponent of the (legal) chop tackle I've seen since Dan Lydiate in his pomp. Probably would have gotten plenty of game time next season too. Best of luck to him at Connacht, a probable future Ireland international in my opinion.

Doris is definitely not a 7. He's 6'4"+ and built like a brick. He's more like a young(er) Jack Conan.

[mildlyinterested]

it makes very little sense to me, he was in for a boat load of gametime next season for leinster with ireland call ups.

Connacht lose no one to ireland and have an established 7.

[neiliog93]

Connacht are losing Heenan and Muldoon. They've already said they have a high profile NIQ number 8 arriving for next season, but I don't think it's inconceivable that next season their first choice back row looks as such:

6.Butler 8.NIQ signing 7.Connors

20.SOB 2.0/Masterson/McKeon

[mildlyinterested]

Connacht are losing Heenan and Muldoon. They've already said they have a high profile NIQ number 8 arriving for next season, but I don't think it's inconceivable that next season their first choice back row looks as such:

6.Butler 8.NIQ signing 7.Connors

20.SOB 2.0/Masterson/McKeon

you forgot copeland..

sob 2.0 is a certain starter for them..

6. SOB
7. Butler
8. Copeland
20. McKeon/Masterson

But maybe i'll be wrong, if Connors is their 1st choice next season, fair play to him.

[neiliog93]

Fair enough on the starting team. But you don't think he could get ahead of McKeon or Masterson on the bench? They're good lads but average enough toilers IMO. Also with rugby being so attritional it's likely that at least one of his competition will be injured at any given time.