Connacht lay big plans for future

WITH all eyes on World Cup auditions, it was too easy to overlook Connacht’s part last night — as it has been this past 15 years — but the province gave notice of a determination to change that at the Aviva Stadium yesterday afternoon.

The side’s inaugural Heineken Cup campaign this season has already thrown new light on the game in the west of Ireland but the focus of yesterday’s press briefing was to highlight longer-term plans both on and off the field.

As one of the speakers, Damian Devaney, noted: “Irish rugby is no longer about three plus one, it has to be about the four provinces.”