Prodigal son Joey Carbery set for Ireland return?

Connacht are looking for an Irish-qualified fly-half for next season and have been linked with a move for Joey Carbery, who is in the final season of his two-year deal with Top 14 outfit Union Bordeaux-Bègles..

Carbery, born in Auckland, New Zealand before moving to Athy, County Kildare when he was 11, is celebrating his 30th birthday on Saturday. He moved to south-west France at the start of last season.

He has made 29 appearances for Les Girondins and has started only one of four games this season, having found his time on the pitch limited by Matthieu Jalibert and Joseph Laharrague.

In May, Carbery, who has been capped 38 times by Ireland, missed the Champions Cup final victory over Northampton Saints after head coach Yannick Bru went with a 6-2 split on the bench.

RugbyPass reported last month that his CV was doing the rounds, and it would now appear that Connacht’s former England boss Stuart Lancaster could be about to make a move to bring him back to the United Rugby Championship.

A move to the Westerners in Galway would be the third of the four provinces he has played for, after starting his career at Leinster, where his path was blocked for club and country by Johnny Sexton, so he switched to Munster.

However, his time in Limerick didn’t go to plan due to injury, and the emergence of Jack Crowley and Ben Healy left the playmaker as third choice by the time he departed for the Top 14 heavyweights.

Carbery wasn’t shy in making his feelings known in an interview with Irish radio station Newstalk, saying that he was unhappy with the way he thought he had been treated.

“It was kind of at the end of the 2023 season, when I didn’t get picked for the World Cup and the Six Nations [before that]. I wasn’t enjoying it [rugby] at all, and I was like, ‘Is it worth it?’ Was it worth all the hard work?

“I suppose I’ve always played my best when I’ve enjoyed it and went into work with a smile on my face. And then I wasn’t enjoying it.

“I don’t think it [quitting rugby] was ever a realistic option as I had a year left on my contract with Munster. I had an inkling that I had another few options coming up where I could get a fresh start.

“I do think that I’m better than the way I was treated,” he said.