JJ HANRAHAN IS on course for a return to action by the end of the month, according to Connacht.
The out-half has been sidelined with an ACL injury since April. Yet the province have said that The 32-year-old “continues to reintegrate into team training” and is due to be available for selection by the end of the month.
Next Connacht face Lyon at home (11 January) and Cardiff away (17 January) in the Challenge Cup, with their URC clash against Glasgow on 24 January being a possible return date for Hanrahan.
Meanwhile, Dave Heffernan (calf), Joe Joyce (foot) and Oisín McCormack (calf) are available for selection having recovered from their respective injuries.
Darragh Murray (achilles) and Seán O’Brien (hamstring) are unavailable this week.
Shayne Bolton (foot) is set to return by the end of January, while John Porch (knee), Andrew Smith (thumb) and Hugh Gavin (ankle) will be unavailable until mid-February.
Will improve them, but there’s something very wrong within that Connacht squad. Have a lot better players than their position in the table suggests. Not sure what it is, but it’s not great when you get dominated by an injury ridden Ulster young team at home and you see lads smiling and laughing after the game.
@Eoin H: Wilkins hasn’t a clue what he’s at. Team selection is mins boggling. No atmosphere in dexcom anymore either. Connacht are in a bad place unfortunately.
@Ray Ridge: haha you obviously aren’t even watching the games Ray and yet you are still commenting…if you were watching them you’d know that dexcom is actually under development so it now has less than half the capacity. You can clearly see the empty new stand under construction on the TV if you actually watch the game. You’re found out once again you charlatan lol
Even though he’s one of Connacht’s current form players, Wilkins has shown he’ll only use Carty when he literally has no other option. Ioane just doesn’t look great. Naughton probably isn’t ready. And every game Forde doesn’t play 12 is a missed op.
So JJ back could be a big help to Connacht. (I’d still pick Carty mind you).
@David Hickey: Ioane and Morgan show that Connacht and Ulster are shopping in the bargain basement bin for No.10s..
@David Hickey: 100% agree. Carty is the guy that should be starting for Connacht. Really disappointed by his obvious side-lining.
Same with Murphy over Blade and Devine, and the disappearance of Hugh Gavin. It’s like he does not want to play local players or something (obviously not, but in the absence of sense you get nonsense).
@Dennis L: Hugh Gavin is injured is he not.
@Dennis L: JJ was picked over Carty last year, because he played better. Similiarly, this year for Connachts game to function they need a flyhalf who can credibly threaten the line. Its not bias, but cold pragmatism that informs the choice.
While Carty’s kicking out of hand is magnificent, his place kicking is wayward. Connacht lost a lot of games last year by less than seven points. Thats a lot of missed conversions and penalties.
In relation to Hugh Gavin, firstly he’s injured and secondly, how many 20 y/o inside centres fo you see starting everyweek? Not many..
@Brian Meagher: With all due respect, this is often touted but not credible. JJ finished with 78% last year. Carty 76%. Some think its 90-50 they way its spoken.
Connacht’s best wins last year were Ulster, Munster, and Bristol. All Carty at outhalf. He is far and away Connacht’s best option at running the back line.
watching the game against Ulster and at halftime with cameras in the dressing room as Wilkins finished speaking i saw looks on some Connachts players faces and their body language suggested to me Wilkins has lost the dressing room! So I,m saying we might see Felix Jones in Connacht next season with Muldoon as assistant. Jones won’t go back to Munster.
@richard gibbons: ah stop, no way Irfu will stump up that kind of money for Connacht to get Jones. They might give it to Munster but definitely not Connacht
I see Mack Hansen’s disciplinary hearing is scheduled for Wednesday. Rightly or wrongly, I can see them make an example of him