Connacht Rugby have confirmed that both Paul Boyle and Ben Murphy have signed contract extensions with the club. Boyle is the latest member of the Connacht centurion club, making his 100th appearance against Zebre in the Challenge Cup late last year. He first made his Connacht debut in January 2018 against Munster, while still a member of the Connacht Academy. He was named Academy Player of the Year for the 2017/18 season. Since then he has been a mainstay in the Connacht backline, and is also the club’s all-time try-scoring forward, with 25 tries in his 102 appearances. He is also an Irish international, featuring against USA during the 2021 Summer Internationals, and has captained Connacht on a number of occasions. Meanwhile, scrum-half Ben Murphy has been one of the club’s in-form players since arriving from Leinster last summer. He has scored 4 tries in his 9 appearances so far and was the starting #9 for the opening five games of the season. Boyle has signed a two-year contract extension, with Murphy signing on for the 2025/26 campaign.
Connacht also announced attack coach Mark Sexton will finish up with the province at the end of the season. The brother of former Ireland out-half Johnny Sexton is likely to head to Ulster where he would once again link up with head coach Richie Murphy, who he worked with in the Ireland Under 20s.
Head coach Pete Wilkins says: “It’s a great boost to have both Paul and Ben commit their future to the club. They have been two of our in-form players this season, and they give you everything you look for in a back-rower and scrum-half. Their best days are still ahead of them too, so I look forward to seeing them continue to go from strength to strength.”
