The Connacht Juniors management team have named a 33-man squad for the 2019 Junior Interprovincial Championships which begins this weekend.
Head coach Michael Harding has picked players from 10 clubs across Connacht, with J1A League and Junior Cup winners Connemara the most represented with 10 players in the squad. Creggs, who finished as runners-up in both competitions, have 7 players included, while Buccaneers, Sligo, Ballina and NUIG also have multiple inclusions.
The Junior Interpros begin this Saturday 27th April when Connacht host Ulster in Castlebar RFC. That will be followed by a trip to Wicklow to face Leinster on Saturday 4th May before a second home against Munster on Saturday 11th May, this time in Creggs RFC.
Ahead of the series, Michael Harding has praised his squad for their effort and commitment since training began last month.
“Training has been going really well and we’re all looking forward to the next few weeks. We’ve got some really talented players in our squad and they have responded well to taking on a lot of info in a short space of time. We know we have a tough game ahead of us but we’re confident we can perform to the best of our abilities”.
“The buy-in from the players ahead of these games has been incredible. We have had players changing holidays and regularly travelling long distances to attend
CONNACHT RUGBY JUNIORS 2019
Forwards
(19)
TJ Berry – Connemara RFC
Maurice Buckley – Creggs RFC
James Brandon – Creggs RFC
Eugene Conroy – Connemara RFC
Brian Diffley – Creggs RFC
Brian Donoghue – Creggs RFC
Alan Finnerty – Tuam RFC
Barry Gibbons – Connemara RFC
Rory Grenham – Buccaneers RFC
Aidan Leech – Creggs RFC
Michael McColgen – NUIG RFC
Conor Mitchell – Sligo RFC
Sean O’Connell – Buccaneers RFC
Conor O’Malley – Connemara RFC
David Robb – NUIG RFC
Ian Staunton – Connemara RFC
Niall Staunton – Connemara RFC
Owen Treacy – Buccaneers RFC
Ger Ward – Monivea RFC
Backs
(14)
Andrew Callaghan – Creggs RFC
Conor Carter – Castlebar RFC
Marty Conneely – Connemara RFC
Kevin Connell – Sligo RFC
Shane Dowd – Creggs RFC
David McDonagh – Connemara RFC
Craig McCormack – Ballina RFC
Ronan Molloy – Ballina RFC
Sean Mullin – Sligo RFC
Eoghan O’Toole – Buccaneers RFC
Henry O’Toole – Connemara RFC
Michael O’Toole – Connemara RFC
Joe Keane – Portumna RFC
10 – Connemara
7 – Creggs
5 – Buccaneers
3 – Sligo
2 – Ballina, NUIG
1 – Castlebar, Monivea, Portumna, Tuam
2019 JUNIOR INTERPROVINCIAL CHAMPIONSHIP FIXTURES
Saturday 27th April
Connacht Juniors v Ulster Juniors @ Castlebar RFC
Munster Juniors v Leinster Juniors @Skibbereen RFC
Saturday 4th May
Leinster Juniors v Connacht Juniors @ Wicklow RFC
Ulster Juniors v Munster Juniors @ Ballyclare RFC
Saturday 11th May
Connacht Juniors v Munster Juniors @ Creggs RFC
Leinster Juniors v Ulster Juniors @ Dundalk RFC
