Conway Aiming For Three In A Row

We catch up with Munster Combined U20 & Development Squad player Joey Conway, who along with a number of his Munster colleagues has been undefeated at provincial level to date.

Claiming interprovincial honours at Under 19s and U18 Schools level, the loosehead prop is going into his third series of interprovincial rugby undefeated and is hopeful his winning streak will continue through to this year’s campaign.

“I have been lucky enough to have been part of two winning sides, he said. “I haven’t lost in a Munster shirt yet so hopefully the good run will continue.”

As part of a new initiative, the Castleconnell man has trained throughout the summer alongside the Munster Academy squad at Limerick Institute of Technology and Cork Institute of Technology, in a five week Talent Camp programme.

Combining an intense gym training plan, on pitch skills sessions, educational modules and a series of nutritional talks, Conway said working with the Academy players has been a huge benefit to the squad who are constantly striving to improve their own personal standards.

“In comparison to previous years the competition is definitely a lot more intense. This year, working with the Academy Squad, the standard in terms of preparations has gone through the roof.

This is Conway’s second consecutive season working under Head Coach Colm McMahon at interprovincial level. McMahon has also been overseeing the Munster 1-2-3 scrum programme which Conway said has been very beneficial for his role at loosehead.

“The programme started 3 years ago on a Monday night. We’d go through position specific techniques – the front row working on scrum height and basically making sure you were getting the basics of scrummaging right and getting into good habits”, he explained.

“Jerry Flannery has also been on hand to help us out this year and his knowledge and experience has been invaluable.

“It has been great for me as a prop – going into intense games at intepro level you might have to do upwards of 20 scrums per match so it’s really important that you are positioning yourself correctly.”

Looking ahead to their opening match at home to Ulster, Conway said his side are well prepared and praised McMahon for his contributions in his development as a player.

“It’s been fantastic working with Colm, he is an excellent coach. He tells us when we’re doing something wrong but won’t hold back If you do something right either – he’ll give you the encouragement to push through to the best of your ability and hopefully our interprovincial success under his reign will continue this year.”

Getting To Know Joey Conway

Age: 18

School: Castletroy College (Just completed Leaving Cert)

Position: Loosehead Prop

Hometown: Castleconnell, Co. Limerick

Favourite Food: Steak

Favourite TV programme: Impractical Jokers

Favourite Film: The Wolf of Wall Street

Favourite Actor/Actress: Leonardo DiCaprio

Most enjoyable holiday location: Salou, Spain

Marooned on a desert island what could you not be without: My phone

Favourite sport other than rugby: Hurling

The sport you least like: Soccer

Person you would most like to meet: Conor McGregor

Rugby person you admire the most: Marcus Horan

Hobbies: I like going out, going for a swim in the river or just meeting my friends.

Biggest influence on rugby career: My Dad. He brought me to UL Bohs at age 10 – I instantly loved rugby and he’s been supporting me ever since.

Other Sports you played: Soccer, Hurling, Gaelic Football, Tennis and Karate

Best rugby memory: Beating Leinster in last year’s interpro and winning the Munster Schools Junior Cup with Castletroy College in 2013.

Sports person you admire most: Conor McGregor

Rugby team you admire most: Saracens

Sporting event you would most like to attend: Rugby World Cup Final

Three people you would invite to dinner: Conor McGregor for the entertainment, Kevin Hart for the comedy and Scarlett Johansson for the looks!

A place in the province you most like to be to chill out: At home in Castleconnell

Favourite singer or band: The Coronas

Interprovincial Fixtures 2016/2017

Munster Combined U20 & Development Squad Fixtures

Friday, 9th September, Munster Combined U20 & Development Squad v Ulster, Thomond Park, ko 7pm
Friday, 16th September, Leinster v Munster Combined U20 & Development Squad, Donnybrook, ko 7pm

Munster Under 19 Fixtures

Saturday, 3rd September, Munster Under 19s v Connacht, Thomond Park Stadium, ko 2.30pm
Saturday, 10th September, Munster Under 19s v Ulster, CIT, ko 3pm
Saturday, 17th September, Leinster Under 19s v Munster Under 19s

Munster Under 18 Clubs Fixtures

Friday, 19th August, Munster U18 Clubs v Exiles, Irish Independent Park, ko 7pm
Saturday, 3rd September, Ulster U18 Clubs v Munster U18 Clubs
Sunday, 11th September, Munster Under 18 Clubs v Leinster, Thomond Park, ko 2.30pm
Saturday, 17th September, Connacht Under 18 Clubs v Munster Under 18 Clubs

Munster U18 Schools Fixtures

Friday, 26th August, Ulster v Munster Under 18 Schools, Perry Park, ko 4.00pm (Result: Munster 18 Ulster 15)
Tuesday, 30th August, Munster Under 18 Schools v Leinster, Thomond Park Stadium, ko 2.30pm (Result: Munster 8 Leinster 3)
Saturday, 10th September, Munster Under 18 Schools v Ulster, CIT, ko 1pm
Saturday, 24th September, Leinster Under 18 Schools v Munster Under 18 Schools, Donnybrook 3pm