Robin off to pastures new with French club
Gorey native signs for French outfit
GOREY NATIVE Robin Copeland has signed for a French Pro D2 club.
Having played the last number of seasons with Connacht, Copeland has put pen to paper for Soyaux Angouleme XV Charente on a three-year contract.
This is a huge move for the 32-year-old who will make the break to the French club for next season after two years with Connacht, whom he joined from Munster in 2018.
Capped once by Ireland in 2014 under Joe Schmidt, Copeland will offer the French club a dynamic option in their back row.
He first broke into senior professional rugby in England with Plymouth Albion, before a switch to fellow Championship side Rotherham.
Having made his mark with the English club, he gained a lucrative move to Cardiff Blues where he enhanced an already growing reputation.
Copeland’s explosive performances in the PRO12 and Heineken Champions Cup caught the attention of Schmidt, and the north Wexford native was brought into the Ireland set-up even when still based in Wales.
Following several successful seasons with the Welsh club, Copeland was attracted to the Munster ranks whom he joined in the summer of 2014.
Having continued his progress with Munster, Copeland won his Irish cap when he came off the bench against Georgia in that year’s November tests.
After four seasons with Munster, where he made more than 70 senior appearances, Copeland made the move to Connacht two years ago.
He will leave Andy Friend’s squad next season, however, having secured a three-year deal in the French second division. The Soyaux Angouleme XV Charente coaching staff includes former Italy international Mirco Bergamasco.
Having put an injury-ravaged season behind him, Copeland will now hope to return to full fitness for whenever rugby resumes.
Meanwhile, it looks as if Wexford town native Jack Stafford will also be on the move from Munster.
Stafford, who has come through the Academy system at the club, is one of eleven players expected to move on for the new season.
The young prospect, who plays scrum-half, has had his appearances limited given the quality vying for the position in the club, including Irish international Conor Murray.
As a result, Stafford will now be seeking to progress his career elsewhere. A promising and talented young player, his progress through the new season will be followed with interest.
In other rugby news, the Irish summer tour to Australia has been cancelled.
As expected, it fell victim to the coronavirus, with international rugby having decided to cancel all summer tests that includes the Irish version down under, a huge disappointment for supporters in both countries.
This will deprive the world’s leading tighthead prop, Tadhg Furlong, of an opportunity to display his talents down under.
With the lockdown of rugby, the Leinster and Ireland stalwart is keeping busy by getting reacquainted with life on the farm down on his homestead in Campile, while also doing his physical work in a self-made home gym.
A decade living in Dublin has made Furlong appreciate life back home.
‘Life can be a lot simpler down here. There’s no panic or rush. It’s lovely to be home,’ he said.
With no firm date set for a return to competitive rugby, Furlong is still using his time on the farm to maintain his fitness. He will be physically ready for whenever the call arrives, to return to full training with Leinster and Ireland.
The clock is also ticking for Josh Murphy, the Leinster back row, who was enjoying his best-ever season in blue, having made a huge breakthrough as a regular in the first team squad.
He has also set up a gym at his Dublin home, to keep himself ready for the new season when it returns. It’s a busy schedule for Josh as he enters his final years in medical studies in U.C.D.
Meanwhile, former Wexford Wanderers under-age player, Brian Deeny, is hoping for a resumption of the Six Nations Under-20 championship, where Ireland are in pole position to complete back-to-back Grand Slams.
Deeny, in his second season with the international squad, now plays his club rugby with Clontarf, while also being part of the Leinster set-up.
He has his fitness levels maintained with the use of the Wexford town club’s facilities in Park Lane. While awaiting the resumption of the Six Nations, Deeny will continue his club career with Clontarf, now one of the leading Division 1 sides in the country.