Leinster's Jerry Cahir joins Irish rivals after whirlwind year

Leinster loosehead prop Jerry Cahir will join Irish rivals Connacht at the end of the season.

The 25-year-old, who previously represented Connacht at U19 level, joined Leinster on a short-term deal at the beginning of the season. Prior to that, he had been working as a sales accelerator for Vodafone.

The prop has been pivotal to Leinster this season during an injury crisis, and was at one stage the only fit loosehead at the club after Alex Usanov picked up an ankle injury in Leinster’s Investec Champions Cup quarter-final win over Sale Sharks.

Though Leinster’s crisis has abated, Cahir took his place on the bench on Saturday as Leinster booked their place in the Champions Cup final with a 29-25 victory over Toulon.

The signing has been announced a day after it was revealed that Denis Buckley will leave Connacht at the end of the season, ending his 17-year association with the province.

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“The opportunity to move to Connacht is something I’m very excited about,” Cahir said after signing for Connacht, who currently sit in ninth place in the United Rugby Championship with two rounds remaining.

“I am grateful to everyone at Leinster for all they have done for me this season, and for giving me an opportunity when nothing else was on the table. Now I’m really looking forward to making the move to Connacht and hopefully making a similar impact. I loved my time in the age-grade setup so I can’t wait to put on the green jersey again.”

Connacht head coach Stuart Lancaster added: “Jerry has made a big impact in Leinster in his short time there, so we’re delighted he has chosen to join Connacht next season and provide us with further quality at loosehead. It speaks volumes that he has fitted in seamlessly in the Leinster front-row during many high-profile games, so we are really excited about the impact Jerry can make with Connacht.”