Connacht Levelling the Playing Field

For too long Connacht have been at the bottom of Irish rugby.  Most would agree that they have been neglected, and used as a development province for up and coming players.  One need only cast a glance at the prominent careers of:

• Jerry Flannery (2001-3, currently stength and conditioning coach at Arsenal)
• Eoin Reddan (2001-3, 3 time Heineken Cup winner with Leinster and holder of international rugby's quickest injury)
• Tony Buckley (2004-5, now playing for Sale Sharks)
• Gavin Williams (2005-7, after which international Samoan debut and recent Stade Francais signing)

Not to mention the boomerang effect, whereupon those who were deemed surplus to requirements are shipped back to the feeder province:

It looked like the trend might have been bucked last year, with Connacht acquiring the services of accomplished Australian born outhalf, Dan Parks.  Parks sensationally retired from international rugby immediately after a poor performance for Scotland against England in the 2012 Six Nations, and then went on to help Connacht to a famous victory against Biarritz Olympique in the group stages of the Heineken Cup.  The all time PRO12 record points scorer has recently expanded his role to that of under 18s coach.  Breakthrough Irish international lock Mike McCarthy put heed to any chances Connacht had of retaining home grown talent, and him and Fionn Carr crossed paths to and from Leinster.  This transfer irked Connacht, accusing Leinster of "persistently targeting Connacht players in recent years".

Leinster had their own problems to deal with however, and with the loss of Jonny Sexton to big spenders Racing Metro 92 (already trying to make their money back before the season begins), Isa Nacewa to retirement (now dabbling in punditry) and Joe Schmidt to Ireland, they were always going to be in the market for replacements.  Sexton's loss was going to be felt acutest, and despite Cian Healy's reassuring tweet (see right), another outhalf had to be high up on the list of priorities.  Despite clamours to bring acclaimed Exeter Chiefs outhalf Gareth Steenson back to the Emerald Isle, Leinster have opted to sign newly promoted Newcastle Falcons pivot Jimmy Gopperth.  The 29 year old Kiwi left Super 15 rugby in 2009 to fill the void left by Jonny Wilkinson's departure from Newcastle Falcons, and is a record holding kicker, possessing a solid all round game.  Leinster fans will be hoping he can provide assists such as this one:

All this fades in comparison to the high profile signing of Springbok full back Zane Kirchner.  Intended as a like-for-like replacement of Nacewa, Kirchner also can cover wing and outside centre (in November 2010 at international level opposite none other than fellow Leinster back Brian O'Driscoll), and has been immoveable at fullback for South Africa for the past 9 games, including another victory against Ireland in the recent autumn internationals.  At only 29 years old, he takes to the field today for Super 15 outfit the Bulls in a semi-final against the Brumbies.  Few have been to the Bulls' Loftus Verfeld Stadium in Pretorius and outplayed Kirchner, whoever the victor is they face the Chiefs in their home Waikato Stadium for the final next weekend.  The number 15 is good under the high ball and a competent kicker out of hand.  His attacking vision is sometimes called into question, and it should be noted that the Bulls play a brand of power rugby that relies heavily upon forward-orientated play.  While obviously committed to embracing the high tempo Leinster gameplan, it will be interesting to see how new Leinster coach Matt O'Connor shuffles the Leinster backline, will for instance Rob Kearney be moved to a wing opposite his brother Dave to accommodate Kirchner?

Meanwhile Munster have been keeping quiet, if anything silently adding searing pace to their back division.  Andrew Conway comes over from Leinster, most recently victorius on the right wing in the Amlin Challenge Cup final against Stade Francais, providing an assist for Sean Cronin's try.  This week the services of South African speedster Gerhard van den Heever have been attained, with the winger due to link up with Munster in November after completion of the Currie Cup.  Last season his region Western Province won the competition, and he will join previous Blue Bulls teammate CJ Stander in Munster.  The 24 year old has pace to burn, and can cover a multitude of positions in the backline.  Not only that, but at 6'3" and circa 100kg, he is in the mould of new age wingers such as George North.  As fast or faster than new Touloun winger Bryan Habana, Munster will hope he contributes more than the last overseas prodigy - Will Chambers who managed one solitary try before returning to Australia...  One thing is irrefutable, van den Heever has big boots to fill, hopefully he will improve his defensive game to emulate the retiring All Black top try scorer legend and Munster captain Dougie Howlett's bone-jarring hits.  Munster coach Rob Penney will hope this new Springbok can complement Ireland stars Keith Earls and Simon Zebo as Munster look to build upon last season's semi-final defeat to French juggernauts Clermont Auvergne.

The real transfer coup may belong to long neglected Connacht however.  This morning Chiefs took on a star-studded Crusaders in the Super 15 semi-final, and emerged victorious.  Their captain is on his way to the Super 15 final, en route to Connacht.  If Mike McCarthy is Connacht's loss, then Chiefs captain Craig Clarke is most certainly Connacht's gain.  At 29 years old the 6'7" second row was monumental in captaining the Chiefs' 37-6 demolition of the Sharks in last year's Super Rugby final, and has signed a 3 year deal with the western province.  Today he was instrumental again, securing a one point win over a Crusaders team packed with New Zealand names such as Dan Carter, Israel Dagg, Kieran Read and Richie McCaw to name but a few.  The fact that Connacht coach Pat Lam is in a position to acquire the services of such a high calibre player speaks volumes about where Connacht are going, with other new signing Samoan international James So'oialo propelling Connacht rugby forwards.  Hopefully So'oialo will be in the headlines for reasons other than most recently.  Undoubtedly Connacht have a lot to look forward to, perhaps Craig Clarke might even bring tradition such as the Chiefs' own haka across the waters:

New Meaning to Jersey Reveal

Long gone are the dull days of a typed press release announcing a new jersey.  Evolution was forced upon the crowds outside Cardiff library as groups of dancers dressed as members of the public began a very promptu flash mob.  Cardiff Blues "son of a Wexford farmer" Robin Copeland, lines out in this unveiling of the new home jersey.

Not one to be outdone, Bath winger Tom Biggs is literally doing things the opposite way round.  Whereas Copeland stripped to reveal the jersey, Biggs is having the new Bath jersey gradually painted onto his naked torso, until the final jersey will be revealed in time for a pre-season friendly against Bristol on August 17th.

That time can't come quick enough.  Not wanting to be overtaken, and not at all competitive (see video), Paul O'Connell took a break from his acting career to get involved.

They say Superman wears Paul O'Connell's pyjamas, well sometimes Paul O'Connell has to wear some things he doesn't like.  Recently on his stag do, the lifelong Everton fan was forced to dress as the famous 1980s Liverpool legend Ian Rush.  This sparked rumours that perhaps this was a thinly veiled Munster 2013-14 jersey.

Of course, the revelation of Munster's jersey was always going to be something of a surprise.  With Toyota outgoing as sponsors (along with a healthy fund of €900,000 per annum), it was only in May that Bank of Ireland (whose name already adorns the jerseys of Ulster and Leinster) were confirmed as sponsors.  The car manufacturer had sponsored Munster for 9 years and Bank of Ireland were their predecessors.  The news comes after retirement of talismanic Ronan O'Gara and 2012-13 captain Dougie Howlett, and paired with this season's Heineken Cup semi-final achievement will go some way towards providing future stability in the form of signings such as winger Gerhard van den Heever. 

Making a boomerang turnaround from the Lions tour (when he represented Munster) and his stag, Paulie came down to Cork for the Adidas Munster Rugby home jersey 2013-14 launch.

Received well thus far, there is no sign of following fellow European heavyweights Toulouse with gold stars representing Heineken Cup success.  The return of the navy shorts is welcomed by many.  One criticism is that the blocking of navy on the shoulders has the effect of reducing the apparent size, this paired with the curtailed course of the Adidas stripes gives the appearance of shoulder patches.  It has a retro feel to it, with some likening it to the jersey from 2003-4 - most memorable for the miracle match against Gloucester - hopefully new memories in the same vein will be forged in this jersey.

The full range including the alternative jersey will be released on August 23rd, and may well take its cue from the alternate jersey from 2003-4, with healthy smatterings of navy in a relatively straightforward reversal of the colour pallette.

The difficult economic climate also has repercussions when it comes to the Irish kit sponsors.  The IRFU announced earlier this year that Puma were to renege on their agreement 4 years into an 8 year contract.  The sportswear giant will provide for this coming season, giving the IRFU time to source a new kit supplier.  Current front runners include Nike and Adidas, although hot on the heels of securing a deal with Connacht, BLK are outside runners.  Suppliers of Super 15 teams Melbourne Rebels and Brumbies, they are embarking upon international contracts with Fiji and Samoa.  Regardless, this has not stopped Puma from making some minor tweaks to the existing kit and unleashing it upon the general public in time for the upcoming Joe Schmidt era.

Old jersey

New jersey

While the subtle change back to "an immediately recognisable green" will be welcomed by some, the new alternate jersey is dividing opinion.  Some have compared it to a Tron outfit, some have said it resembles two cars passing each other with a cat jumping out of the way.

Finally, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspurs announced their entry into the lucrative rugby market this morning, as Leinster's new Canterbury gear was released.  The motif running throughout is that of the four strings of the Ryanair harp dividing into 12 to signify the 12 counties of Leinster.  If this wasn't clear enough, "@leinsterrugby" adorns the nape as an additional design element.

Chelsea Magic

Jimmy Gopperth confused at the prospect of playing for Tottenham Hotspurs