CONNACHT HAVE dismissed suggestions the team has been weakened in the close season, reports JOHNNY WATTERSON.

Although the squad has gone down from last year’s 30 players to 29 for this season, chief executive officer Jerry Kelly says the squad is strong and has much to look forward to this season. “There have been a lot of positives in Connacht over the summer like the upgrading of players like John Muldoon and Bret Wilkinson,” said Kelly. “Our full-time squad has one less member and we have still two positions to fill. But one will be filled, probably in the next few days.”

Claims that Connacht, for various reasons from retirement to contracts ending, lost 15 players at the end of the season and signed just five, were dismissed. Connacht’s figures show 12 players left or retired at the end of the 2008-09 season, while they brought in or upgraded nine with two more signatures outstanding.

Bernie Upton, Miah Nikora, Jamie Hagen, Brian Tuohy and number eight Mike McComish all come into the Sportsground along with former academy players Conor Higgins, Dermot Murphy, Eoin Griffin and Tiernan O’Halloran also signed up.

Griffin, a former Irish under-18 international, and O’Halloran, who was capped for the Irish Schools this year, will be in the squad for their friendly match tomorrow against Harlequins at The Stoop.

CONNACHT(v Harlequins): T Nathan; B Tuohy, N Ta'auso, A Wynne, F Carr; M Nikora, C O'Loughlin; R Loughney, A Flavin (C), R Morris; M Swift, B Upton; M McCarthy, J O'Connor, M McComish. Replacements (from): A Browne, K Campbell, E Griffin, J Hagan, C Higgins, D Murphy, D Nolan, R Ofisa, T O'Halloran, B Wilkinson.