Time was when Connacht were sneered at for their reliance on imports from the other provinces and abroad rather than developing from within, but not anymore.
Indeed, one of the extraordinary features of this season's success is how Pat Lam has seamlessly tapped into their academy in an often injury-ravaged campaign to maintain their push for a home semi-final.
Accordingly, six final-year graduates of this year’s academy will progress to full professional contracts next season, bringing that tally to 14 over the last three seasons. Of next season’s professional squad, 21 of them will be academy products. Cultivating more indigenous players from the grassroots of the province is a prime aim of their strategic plan, but identifying hidden gems from outside will remain part of their ambit.
Model
“When we started the academy programme more than 10 years ago, the IRFU funded Connacht to the tune of 50 per cent of the other provinces,” said academy director
Nigel Carolan
yesterday.
“So in the last 10 years, we’ve grown the academy into a model which not only looks after the players from within the province, but we realise that there are players in other areas who are not getting picked up and we made it our business to make sure there was a home for those guys.
"Some of them have been successful like Ultan Dillane, Kieran Marmion and Eoghan Masterson. It doesn't work for all of them, but Irish rugby is too small to turn a blind eye to some of the players. The devil in the detail is trying to spot the potential."
Benchmark
As Irish Under-20s coach, Carolan has to keep a keen eye across the country, but interestingly he did not see the need for the Connacht schools game to emulate its celebrated
Leinster
counterpart.
“I hope that I benchmark players internationally. That when I look at what’s required for a player it’s at international level, rather than provincial schools cup level. We’re certainly finding that at national Under-20 sides, players coming out of that system are not always equipped to deal with their equivalents from the other nations.”
He added: “Technically, tactically and more importantly physically, we’re a little bit behind. Our plan in the academy is to push all of the resources downward so that we’re able to provide a wraparound service to the 16-year-old.”
Donnacha Ryan will make his return from a five-week absence since suffering concussion in Munster’s defeat to Connacht. He will play for a
Munster
A
side which faces the Ireland Under-20s today in Thomond Park in a bid to prove his fitness for the forthcoming tour to South Africa. Robin Copeland will also feature in the Munster team.
