Marmion excited to commit his future to Connacht
CONNACHT’S bid to claim a fourth Challenge Cup win of the season has been given an injection of confidence as Ireland scrum-half Kieran Marmion has pledged his future to the province. Marmion, 25, has penned a two-year extension to his current Connacht deal that will see him through to the end of the 2019/20 season should he see out his contract. Marmion is expected to be named in Kieran Keane’s team for Saturday’s European clash at the Sportsground, and a second win in a week against Brive will leave the westerners in prime position to reach the quarter-finals for the second season running. ‘Since joining the Connacht Academy I have received great guidance from coaches and management in the club and I am extremely proud of what we have achieved to date,’ Marmion said. ‘As a squad, we are excited about the coming seasons and are working towards bringing more success to the province. ‘With the World Cup in 2019 only around the corner, I hope to be involved in the Irish squad in the years to come.’ Connacht currently have 14 points from a possible 15 in their Challenge Cup pool, and after their win over Brive last weekend they lead the French side by seven points. With progression unlikely for them, Brive may again field a weakened team this weekend, and, after his side came back from 16 points down to win in France, backs coach Nigel Carolan hopes to see a similar attitude in Galway. ‘I think the important thing was that we didn’t panic. Brive started with a high intensity and were very physical and through a bit of bad luck, a couple of miscued kicks and some penalty calls that went against us we put ourselves under pressure,’ said Carolan. ‘But we kept our composure and we just kept playing and waited for our opportunity. Once we got them we were very clinical. Before half-time we had only to shots but