By Sea_point
May 31 2006

Seven Connacht players have been named in the Ireland A squad for the Churchill Cup in Canada next month including two uncapped players.

After a difficult season for the province with the usual glut of departees cherry picked by the other provinces and further afield, Seven Connacht players have been named in the Ireland A squad for the Churchill Cup in Canada next month including two uncapped players. John Muldoon and David Gannon are in line to win their first caps at A level for Ireland. Both have performed superbly for Connacht this season and will join Chris Keane, John Hearty, Ray Hogan and John Fogarty in the squad, all of whom have won their first A caps already this season and late callup Conor Mc Phillips who was also capped earlier in the year.

---

 

Backs (3):

Player / Senior Caps / A Caps

Conor McPhilips (Buccaneers/Connacht) 0 (1)

Pos: Wing

DOB: 9th Feb 1981
Height: 1.73 m (5' 8")
Weight: 82 kg (180 lb)

Conor has played in 18 of Connachts CL matches this season, scoring four tries. He also played in all our Challenge Cup games scoring an additional four tries. Conor also broke into the Ireland A team with a cap against France earlier this year. Conor has been a Connacht stalwart for three seasons although after an exception debut season his last two seasons have been impacted by injuries. 

 

John Hearty (Galwegians/Connacht) 0 (1)

Pos: Centre

DOB: 5th Sep 1983
Height: 1.83 m (6' 0")
Weight: 85 kg (187 lb)

John is in his second season with Connacht and has played (barring injuries) in eleven (11) of Connacht's CL matches, scoring one try. John also played in five (5) of the Challenge Cup matches missing the Quater final against Newcastle through injury.

 

Chris Keane (Buccaneers/Connacht) 0 (2)
Pos: Scrum Half

DOB: 25th Oct 1978
Height: 1.85 m (6' 1")
Weight: 92 kg (203 lb)

Chris has blossomed in the last seasons under the tutalage of his boss and scrum half mentor Mick Bradley. He's become a mainstay of the Conacht side in that time, this season alone he has run out in the green jersey 19 times in the CL alone. He's also been an everpresent for the Challenge Cup matches. His involment in the Churchill Cup squad is well deserved after all the improvements that we've seen in his game this year and last.

 

Future Player:

Eoghan Hickey (UCD/Leinster) 0 (0)

Pos: Fly-half

It's widely rumoured that Eoghan will be playing for Connacht next season (no official announcement yet), he'll be given a very warm welcome by the Connacht support and hopefully the Churchill Cup will be the springboard for a very exciting future with Connacht.

---

Forwards (4):

Player / Senior Caps / A Caps

John Fogarty (Buccaneers/Connacht) 0 (2)

Pos: Hooker

DOB: 18th Oct 1980
Height: 1.75 m (5' 9")
Weight: 100 kg (220 lb)

What a season from Fog's, absolutely ligind. 20 starts in the CL and another 6 in the Challenge Cup, plus two Caps with Ireland 'A'.

He's been toiling away for the last couple of seasons, building game time and eventually with Bernard Jackman heading to Leinster at the close of business last season his game and obvious confidence has just exploded in the Green Jersey.  Fogarty made his A debut away to France in February and performed superbly in the victory over England in March. While John is giving it everything in the US and Canada, Bernard meanwhile will be no doubt sunning himself on a beach somewhere, which just confirms what I think we all believed last season if not the season before. Any odds on John doing a Jerry F..?

 

David Gannon (Buccaneers/Connacht) 0 (0)

Pos: Second Row

DOB: 11th Feb 1983
Height: 1.93 m (6' 4")
Weight: 105 kg (232 lb)

David Gannon joined Connacht at the start of this season. He was playing for Blackrock last season alongside John Hearty and was a member of the Leinster Academy.

Gannon has made 12 appearances for Connacht in his first season and made his debut as a replacement in the European Challenge Cup clash with Catania in October and made his first start against Munster in Thomond Park on December 27. He's finished the season with a bang, with a breakaway try in the win against Edinburgh and a call up for the Churchill Cup squad.

 

Ray Hogan (Galwegians/Connacht) 0 (2)

Pos: Prop

DOB: 21st Nov 1981
Height: 1.93 m (6' 4")
Weight: 113 kg (248 lb)

Ray Hogan has put in two consistent seasons for Connacht, with 14 starts in the CL and 6 in the Challenge Cup. Ray also started in both 'A' games he played this season.  Ray can cover both sides of the scrum and is held in high regard as a possible future full Ireland international.

John Muldoon (Galwegians/Connacht) 0 (0)

Pos: Flanker

DOB: 30th Nov 1982
Height: 1.91 m (6' 3")
Weight: 105 kg (232 lb)

Many rugby fans from the west will believe Muldoon’s inclusion in the Ireland Churchill Cup squad is long overdue. He's been in oputstanding forpm for the province this year and played in nineteen (19) CL matches and all seven of Connacht's Challenge Cup games. If last year was his breakthrough season, this has been the season where he cemented a place in the side.

The Portumna native joined the Connacht squad in 2001 at the age of 18. He trained with the senior side each season and made his debut in 2003 against Borders. In between Muldoon played for Ireland Youths, Ireland under 19s and Ireland under 21s. He has played in three world cups in as far-flung places as Chile, South Africa and England.

 

Past Players:

Damien Browne (Northampton) 0 (0)
Ronan McCormack (UCD/Leinster) 0 (4)

Churchill Cup 2006 - Fixtures

USA v Ireland 'A' - San Francisco, June 3
Ireland 'A' v New Zealand Maori - San Francisco, June 10
Ireland 'A' v Canada/England 'A'/Scotland 'A', Edmonton - June 17