Connacht Team Talk Thread VI - Some like it TOH

Hard to see it. Joey had neither luck nor love within the Irish system and is now getting plenty of game time in Bordeaux where he's surely on great money. And it's not like he could play himself back into Irish contention, that boat has sailed.

Mack Hansen to sign a 2 year contract extension. Will be on a central contract with IRFU so should free up some money for Connacht. A good chunk of which will probably have to be spent on a new 10.

Bar goal kicking is Healy any better than what we already have? Admittedly I haven't seen an awful lot of him over the last season or more but he seems to be way down the pecking order with Edinburgh.

The news about Mack is great and well deserved

It looks like Ross Byrne is off to England anyway. Pity we couldn't get him. He's not great but he's solid.

There's another Connacht Aussie could do with a central contract as well.

From Wilkins interview with the 42. Looking at extending Ioane and are in negotiations. Trying to sign jack Carty on again too. No mention of a new 10 at all and stated both Forde and Hawkshaw are not 10s but utility backs.

Starting to see Finlay being discussed as a potential Lion - now wouldn't that be something?

It'll be interesting to see how the rest of the 6 nations plays out for him, and whether Furlong comes back at all.

That would be a terrible move on both of those players, JC has long since seen his best days and just isn’t reliable enough anymore. Ioane the same v.unreliable off the boot but can produce good running options against weaker sides. Ben Healy would be a better option than either of those, not the most dynamic 10 but able to play the game in the right areas with great kicking and take points when on offer. Our lack of ability to close out games or lose big leads has a big impact on our current league position and I think some of that is due to having such unreliable kickers that even when we win penalties or turnovers we can’t capitalise by getting distance from hand or the ball through the posts.

I accept Healy has fallen well below expectations this season at Edinburgh but was impressive with Munster and in his first season in Scotland, he seems reasonably robust too, which is something that H. Byrne and to a lesser extent Frawley struggle with. They’d equally be an upgrade if they could stay fit. I had hoped that Forde could make the transition to 10 but his kicking from hand has been underwhelming and fails to get us the field position/release of pressure we need in games. His ability to play off 10 is so valuable I think we waste him (bit like Frawley) as a utility back.

I think I need to hire whatever PR company that Ben Healy has hired because he always has people defending him online despite him never having delivered performances to merit that. At Munster he had one short stint where he was 1st choice when Crowley was very young and Cadbury was injured. After that he was third choice. Moved to Scotland where the hype seems to have followed him but once he was judged on performances he dropped down the pecking order very quickly.

Not saying he's a terrible player, big and robust with a big boot but he's a reserve player at URC level; every coached he has had has judged him to be that level and no team with any ambition is looking at him as a 1st choice 10.

Frawley is the best option.

Healy was 3rd choice at munster and now out of favour in Edinburgh. That would indicate he would be connachts 3rd choice. Unless he is willing to play for small money I can't see him being signed.

Rod Seib an Australian joining Connacht. Don't know in what capacity yet.