O’Connor: Gilsenan Will Gain Valuable Experience With Connacht

Leinster head coach Matt O’Connor is fully behind young flanker Conor Gilsenan’s loan move to Connacht, insisting it will benefit the player but also the province in the long run.

Confirmation came through today that Conor Gilsenan has joined Connacht on loan until the end of the current season.

The Westmeath native has been hugely influential for the Leinster ‘A’ team in the British & Irish Cup, which they won last year and are in the quarter-finals this term.

Leinster head coach Matt O’Connor explained the decision to allow the 21-year-old to leave, saying: “Conor is a really promising player, but such is our lot at Leinster at the moment that we have an abundance of back row talent all vying for a limited amount of positions and game-time.

“An opportunity arose whereby Conor can gain valuable first team and PRO12 experience at Connacht which will in turn be hugely beneficial to him and indeed to us at Leinster.

“Conor is a young man with a bright future, very dedicated in how he goes about his business and I know he will settle in well at Connacht.”