Connacht are continuing to move swiftly to agree contract extensions for key players.
Scrumhalf Kieron Marmion, flanker Willie Faloon, and outhalf Craig Ronaldson have all re-signed with Pat Lam’s Connacht for another two years, following Matt Healy’s extension agreement last week.
Marmion, now with 36 caps, has become an integral part of the playing squad since earning his first senior cap last season after a speedy promotion from the Connacht Academy.
The 21-years-old Welsh-born scrumhalf of Irish parents has already been capped at u-18, u-19 and u-20 level for Ireland and was a member of Ireland’s summer tour squad.
Connacht coach Pat Lam says Marmion has impressed him with his “attitude, work ethic and incredible maturity”.
“ I have no doubt that he will go on to achieve great things within Connacht and Irish rugby."
And another young player, 23-years-old Craig Ronaldson, who stepped straight into Connacht from Lansdowne on a one-year contract, has been offered a two year professional deal after impressing in his first season.
Ronaldson, who was last season's AIL division 1A Player of the Year and the Ulster Bank League's highest points scorer, has been both a replacement for outhalf Dan Parks in the absence of the injured Miah Nikora, and shown his versatililty when playing in the centre.
Lam says Ronaldson has earned his opportunity in the professional game, showing “he has the appetite and ability to thrive in a professional environment”.
The third player to re-sign this week is prominent openside forward Willie Faloon. The 27-year-old, who moved from Ulster, to take over where Johnny O’Connor left off, remains a huge part of Connacht’s future plans despite two major injuries.
"He is an important member of our squad and part of a very strong pack here,” says Lam. “ We've seen what he can do and his experience and work-rate adds an exciting dimension to our gameplay.”
In his absence New Zealander Jake Heenan has played a crucial role this season and is one of several players who will enjoy a much-needed break from action during the autumn international series.
The former U-20 New Zealand captain was one of three backrow players still available to Pat Lam in last week’s Pro 12 fixture against Glasgow which the Scots won by 19-20.
It was Connacht’s sixth league defeat that sees them propping up the bottom of the table, but a mitigating factor has been the amount of injuries Connacht have suffered.
"We are struggling on bare bones at the moment,” said Lam. “ We have had four or five big physical games on the trot. If you look at Jake Heenan, who has been battered right through, with 30 minutes to go he strained medial ligaments, but he wanted to stay on because we had no more backrow players.
"Our training has been disrupted because we have no guys to fill in the holes, particularly in back row and midfield - that's not an excuse, its just reality where we are at, and the break cannot come at a better time for us to get some injured back, boost our squad and get refreshed."
Lam, however, had reason to be more disappointed with Saturday's defeat to Glasgow than the narrow losses suffered previously. A losing bonus point was one positive, but Connacht created sufficient opportunities to win- albeit against one of the strongest defensive units in the league - and a lack of clinical execution has been a continuing thread throughout the season to date.
"At the end of the day we were not clinical enough. We turned the ball over at kick-offs or at the back of the scrum which gave them ball, and on the back of that our defense gave them far too much outage, particularly in the second half."
Gregor Townsend's Warriors were missing players through international commitments, but with the wind at their backs, they scored the game's only try after six minutes through DTH van de Merwe. Outhalf Duncan Weir added the first of his 14 point haul, while Connacht's only first-half points came from a Dan Parks 14th minute effort
Connacht finished the half battering the Scots' line and continued after the break when Parks reduced the arrears to seven points. The deficit remained at seven until the 69th minute when replacement outhalf Craig Ronaldson provided the platform with a superb attack into the Glasgow 22. Camped on the line, Connacht opted to take their kick at goal when replacement tighthead Ed Kalman was penalised for collapsing the scrum. Although it left just four between the sides, the home side gifted Glasgow the initiative when once again failing to deal with the restart. As result Weir added his fourth penalty two minutes from time after Mata Fifita was binned for a high and late tackle on the influential Niko Matawalu, ensuring the Scottish outfit maintained their push for title honours with their sixth win.
Lam, however, is unconcerned with Connacht's current league standing, particularly with the arrival of skills coach Dave Ellis last week.
"We just have to continue to build. I would be concerned if we were getting smashed by teams or getting a hiding with no chance and no opportunity, but every game we have had a chance of winning. At the moment a lot of character has been shown, but we are up against some of the better teams. We have run them close but haven't quite nailed it. We have to persevere and it will come.
"There is a long way to go. You only have to look at Edinburgh to see that if you win a couple of games, you climb up the table. It's a pretty tight competition. No one is shooting ahead so it doesn't take much."
