News round-up: The extent of the turnover in personnel at Connacht in the close-season was made apparent yesterday with the announcement of a much-changed squad for next season under incoming coach Michael Bradley.
Connacht have clearly been working overtime in putting together a competitive line-up for next season, witness the arrival of the 23-year-old former Australian under-21 lock Andrew Farley from Swansea and the 22-year-old, Irish-qualified former England under-21 lock Mike McCarthy from Wasps.
However they were dealt a serious blow over the weekend when back-rower John O'Sullivan, probably Connacht's rookie of the season, confirmed that he was leaving to join Bordeaux/Begles. No less than Gavin Duffy's decision to join Harlequins and Johnny O'Connor's switch to Wasps, these are somewhat curious career moves in terms of long-term development.
Yet 11 of the starting side which ended Leinster's long unbeaten home run in Donnybrook are amongst those who remain and others who have been signed up by the province are Matt Mostyn (from Newport), the Clontarf contingent of Warren O'Kelly, Bernard Jackman, Adrian Clarke and Dave Hewitt, St Mary's winger Conor McPhillips, and hooker John Fogarty from Munster.
The All Blacks have named two new caps, Fijian-born winger Joe Rokococo and centre Ma'a Nonu, for the showdown with England on Saturday.
The tourists, meanwhile, have opted for stability by picking the same 15 that beat Ireland in March to wrap up the Grand Slam for the crunch encounter in Wellington.
Rokococo and Nonu have been two of the stand-out players in the Super 12 this year, with Nonu forming a dynamic midfield partnership for the Hurricanes with Tana Umaga, who will play at inside centre on Saturday.
NEW ZEALAND: D Howlett (Auckland); J Rokococo (Auckland), M Nonu (Wellington), T Umaga (Wellington), C Ralph (Canterbury); C Spencer (Auckland), J Marshall (Canterbury); R So'oailo (Wellington), R McCaw (Canterbury), A Williams (Auckland), C Jack (Canterbury), R Thorne (Canterbury, capt), G Sommerville (Canterbury), A Oliver (Otago), D Hewett (Canterbury). Replacements: M Muliaina (Auckland), D Carter (Canterbury), S Devine (Auckland), J Collins (Wellington), B Thorn (Canterbury), C Hoeft (Otago), K Mealamu (Auckland).
ENGLAND: J Lewsey (London Wasps); J Robinson (Sale Sharks), W Greenwood (Harlequins), M Tindall (Bath), B Cohen (Northampton Saints), J Wilkinson (Newcastle), M Dawson (Northampton); L Dallaglio (London Wasps), N Back (Leicester), B Kay (Leicester), M Johnson (Leicester capt), R Hill (Saracens), J Leonard (Harlequins), S Thompson (Northampton), G Rowntree (Leicester). Replacements: D West (Leicester), P Vickery (Gloucester), S Borthwick (Bath), J Worsley (London Wasps), K Bracken (Saracens), P Grayson (Northampton), D Luger (Harlequins).
CONNACHT SQUAD: Backs: M McHugh; T Robinson, C McPhillips, M Mostyn, D Yapp, T Allnutt, S Moore, W Munn, E Elwood, D Hewitt, C Keane, M Walls, C O'Loughlin, P O'Sullivan, J Meagher. Forwards: D McFarland, W O'Kelly, B Jackman, M Uijs, J Fogarty, P Bracken, A Clarke, F Boiroux, D Browne, A Farley, M McCarthy, M Swift, J Muldoon, P Neville, T Carter, M Carroll, R Hogan, H Bourke, C Short. Note: Two more back row forwards to be added to squad.
