I’m no loss Leader at Connacht
THE season may be only two games old but Connacht’s Darragh Leader has already played more rugby than last term. The 24-year-old was on the wing in the 32-10 win over the Southern Kings on Saturday – scoring the bonus point try – while he was at full-back the previous week against Glasgow. “I don’t really care, as long as I’m out there playing I am delighted,” he said, when asked which was his favourite position. A hand injury saw him spend most of last season on the sideline — one start and one appearance off the bench was all Leader managed in total. But now he is hopeful that his injury nightmares are behind him and that he can get back to the form which saw Joe Schmidt call him into the Irish squad four years ago. New coach Kieran Keane has paid tribute to Leader’s resilience in battling back from a series of injuries which have curtailed his Connacht appearances to 54 games – 22 of them off the bench – since his debut away to Ospreys in 2012. The versatile back has certainly had a tough time of it but one thing helped him see light at the end of the tunnel. “Wanting to get back out on the pitch. I love going out at the Sportsground in front of the fans so I kept that to the forefront of my mind. “There were a few weeks when I was a bit iffy about it but thankfully it all came round for me. “I love playing rugby and wanting to get back kept me going. I was just unlucky the way it all unfolded but hopefully now it is all behind me.”