Dillane confirms Connacht exit as rumours link him with Irish great
Connacht’s Irish international second row Ultan Dillane has ended months of speculation by confirming he will leave the Galway Sportsground at the end of the season.
And as-yet-unsubstantiated rumours suggest that the 28-year-old will join former Ireland no.10 Ronan O’Gara who now coaches at La Rochelle.
Connacht’s statement says only that he will join an “overseas club” with last season’s Heineken Champions Cup finalists and their Paris-based Top 14 rivals Racing both seemingly in the running to clinch Dillane’s signature.
Having played 19 times for his country since his 2016 debut, should the French-born lock make the move across the Channel the cap he won against Japan in the summer will be his last for a while.
The lock has made 122 appearances for Connacht to date, winning his first senior cap back in December 2014 having come through the province’s academy system.
We can confirm Ultan Dillane will depart the club when his contract expires at the end of the season.
Thank you for your 10 years of dedication to the province Ultan, and best of luck with everything in the future ??
Full statement: https://t.co/BoAW0qI6K7 pic.twitter.com/upbsTjIYEs
— Connacht Rugby (@connachtrugby) December 21, 2021
“This has been one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever had to make, but ultimately I feel that the time has come for me to experience a new challenge in my career,” Dillane said, in a statement.
“I am forever grateful to all the coaches and wider staff at Connacht I’ve worked with these past 10 years. You have all helped make my dream of becoming a professional and international rugby player a reality.”
“I’ve also been fortunate to play alongside some incredible players both for Connacht and Ireland, and I have made some friends for life,” Dillane added.
“The Connacht supporters are among the best in the world and I’d like to thank them for all the support they’ve given me too. The West of Ireland will always be a special place to me.
“I will be giving absolutely everything to finish my time in Connacht on a high, and help all of us to go on to have a really successful season. This is a team on the up and I’ll forever be a Connacht Rugby supporter.”
The rumour connecting Dillane with La Rochelle was given added substance when the Aquitaine-based club announced the sudden retirement of French international back-five forward Kevin Gourdon who had recently signed a new two-year deal.
According to their announcement Gourdon has abruptly called time on his playing career at the age of 31 following the discovery of a heart problem.
“It’s brutal and sad news, but my health is a priority,” Gourdon told the club’s website.
“Unfortunately it’s something we can’t control, I’m not in a position to do anything to make the situation different, so I have no regrets.”
Gourdon joined La Rochelle from Clermont in 2012 and played 221 games for the club as it went from the second division to last season’s Champions Cup final. He also played 19 times for France.
Le troisième ligne international français âgé de 31 ans, Kévin Gourdon, a appris cette semaine qu’un problème cardiaque le contraint à mettre un terme immédiat à sa carrière sportive.https://t.co/aEXFrCXjOK
— Stade Rochelais (@staderochelais) December 21, 2021
Comments on RugbyPass
It was a pleasure to watch those guys playing with such confidence. That trio can all be infuriating for different reasons and I can see why Jones might have decided against them. No way to justify leaving Ikitau out though. Jorgensen and him were both scheduled to return at the same time. Only one of them plays for Randwick and has a dad who is great mates with the national coach though.
53 Go to commentsBrayden Iose and Peter Lakai are very exciting Super Rugby players but are too short and too light to ever be a Test 8 vs South Africa, France, Ireland, and England, Lakai could potentially be a Test player at 7 if he is allowed to focus on 7 for Hurricanes.
5 Go to commentsPencils “Thomas du Toit” into possible 2027 Bok squad.
1 Go to commentsDon’t see why Harrison makes the bench. Jones can play at 10 if needed, and there is a good case for starting her there to begin with if testing combinations. That would leave room for Sing on the bench
1 Go to commentsWhat a load of old bull!
1 Go to commentsOf the rugby I’ve born witness to in my lifetime - 1990 to date - I recognize great players throughout those years. But I have no doubt the game and the players are on average better today. So I doubt going back further is going to prove me wrong. The technical components of the game, set pieces, scrums, kicks, kicks at goal. And in general tactics employed are far more efficient, accurate and polished. Professional athletes that have invested countless hours on being accurate. There is one nation though that may be fairly competitive in any era - and that for me is the all blacks. And New Zealand players in general. NZ produces startling athletes who have fantastic ball skills. And then the odd phenomenon like Brooke. Lomu. Mcaw. Carter. Better than comparing players and teams across eras - I’ve often had this thought - that it would be very interesting to have a version of the game that is closer to its original form. What would the game look like today if the rules were rolled back. Not rules that promote safety obviously - but rules like: - a try being worth 1 point and conversion 2 points. Hence the term “try”. Earning a try at goals. Would we see more attacking play? - no lifting in the lineouts. - rucks and break down laws in general. They looked like wrestling matches in bygone eras. I wonder what a game applying 1995 rules would look like with modern players. It may be a daft exercise, but it would make for an interesting spectacle celebrating “purer” forms of the game that roll back the rules dramatically by a few versions. Would we come to learn that some of the rules/combinations of the rules we see today have actually made the game less attractive? I’d love to see an exhibition match like that.
29 Go to commentsIrish Rugby CEO be texting Andy Farrell “Andy, i found our next Kiwi Irishman”
5 Go to commentsI certainly don’t miss drinking beers at 8am in the morning watching rugby games being played in NZ.
1 Go to commentsThis looks like a damage limitation exercise for Wales, keeping back some of their more effective players for the last 20/25 minutes to try and counter England’s fresh legs so the Red Roses don’t rack up a big score.
1 Go to commentsVery unlikely the Bulls will beat Leinster in Dublin. It would be different in Pretoria.
1 Go to commentsI think it is a dangerous path to go down to ban a player for the same period that a player they injured takes to recover. Players would be afraid to tackle anyone. I once tackled my best friend at school in a practice match and sprained his ankle. I paid for it by having to play fly-half instead of full-back for the rest of that season’s fixtures.
5 Go to commentsJust such a genuine good bloke…and probably the best all round player in his generation. Good guys do come first sometimes and he handled the W.Cup loss with great attitude.
2 Go to commentsWord in France is that he’s on the radar of a few Top14 clubs.
5 Go to commentsGet blocking Travis, this guy has styles and he’s gonna make a swift impact…!
1 Go to commentsWhat remorse? She claimed that her dangerous tackle wasn’t worthy of a red! She should be compensating the injured player for loss of earnings at the minimum. Her ban should include the recovery time of the injured player as well as the paltry 3 match ban.
5 Go to commentsArdie is a legend. Finished and klaar. Two things: “Yeah, yeah, I have had a few conversations with Razor just around feedback on my game and what I am doing well, what I need to improve on or work-ons. It’s kind of been minimal, mate, but it’s all that I need over here in terms of how to be better, how to get better and what I am doing well.” I hope he’s downplaying it - and that it’s not that “minimal”. The amount of communication and behind the scenes preparation the Bok coaches put into players - Rassie and co would be all over Ardie and being clear on what is expected of him. This stands out for me as something teams should really be looking at in terms of the boks success from a coaching point of view. And was surprised by the comment - “minimal”. In terms of the “debate” around Ireland and South Africa. Nice one Ardie. Indeed. There’s no debate.
2 Go to commentsThere’s a bit of depth there but realistically Australian players have a long way to go to now catch up. The game is moving on fast and Australia are falling behind. Australian sides still don’t priories the breakdown like they should, it’s a non-negotiable if you want to compete on the international stage. That goes for forwards and backs. The Australian team could have a back row that could make a difference but the problem is they don’t have a tight five that can do the business. Tupou is limited in defence, overweight and unfit and the locks are a long way from international standard. Frost is soft and Salakai-Loto is too small so that means they need a Valentini at 8 who has to do the hard graft so limits the effectiveness of the backrow. Schmidt really needs to get a hard working, tough tight 5 if he wants to get this team firing.
3 Go to commentsSorry Morgan you must have been the “go to for a quote” ex player this week. Its rnd 6 and there is plenty of time to cement a starting 15 and finishing 8 so I have no such concerns.
2 Go to commentsGreat read. I wish you had done this article on the ROAR.
2 Go to commentsThe current AB coaching team is basically the Crusaders so it smacks of wanting their familiar leaders around. This is not a good look for the future of the ABs or the younger players in Super working their way up the player ladder. Razor is touted as innovative, forward looking but his early moves look like insecurity and insular, provincial thinking. He is the AB's coach not the Golden Oldies.
10 Go to comments