CONNACHT HAVE ANNOUNCED the signing of JJ Hanrahan ahead of next season.
The Kerry native will join the province from the Dragons.
An out-half who can also cover centre and full-back, Hanrahan previously spent seven years with Munster across two periods. He departed in 2021 to join French outfit Clermont Auvergne, before a one-year spell at the Dragons.
In between his two spells with Munster, he played for the Northampton Saints between 2015 and 2017.
🏉 938 career points
— Connacht Rugby (@connachtrugby) May 19, 2023
🧢 209 games across 3 leagues
🟢 One of us
Welcome to Connacht, JJ Hanrahan! 🔥https://t.co/sLnb6i7O9p pic.twitter.com/yNRzG9Znxs
“Moving to Connacht and back on Irish soil was a really appealing opportunity that presented itself,” said Hanrahan.
“I’ve played Connacht numerous times in my career and every game was a hard-fought battle. They’re a club with a huge team spirit and a never-say-die attitude and I’m looking forward to living those values with them, and contributing wherever I can. This is something that really excites me for the coming years ahead.
There’s massive potential in the squad as we’ve all seen over the last few weeks. Hopefully I can add some value from when I link up with them in preseason this summer, and give it my all to help the club reach the next level and compete for silverware.”
“JJ needs no introduction to Irish rugby fans, and I’m thrilled that he has chosen to join us next season,” remarked Connacht head coach Pete Wilkins.
“His record at Munster as well as Northampton, Clermont and Dragons speaks for itself, and that experience of consistently playing at the highest level in the URC and Champions Cup for so long will be a great asset for us.
JJ is our final new signing in what’s been a very productive few months for us. We have 9 incoming players who can all have a positive impact in different ways, and credit must go to Tim Allnutt for his work in this area over the past while. We’re very excited about the squad we’ve assembled and what they can achieve next season.”
