Piers O’Conor, a versatile and Irish-eligible centre, currently playing for Bristol Bears in England’s Premiership, has been signed by Connacht. The 28-year-old will be moving to the province from this summer, wrapping up a tenure of six years under ex-Connacht coach Pat Lam at Ashton Gate.
Despite being born in Australia, O’Conor is eligible to play for Ireland, thanks to his granddad’s origins in Roscommon and Dublin. Before advancing through the junior systems, he represented both Irish U19s and English U20s. However, he is still uncapped at the senior international level.
While O’Conor is principally a centre, he has experience playing as both a fullback and winger. Connacht Rugby’s head coach, Pete Wilkins, expressed his excitement about the upcoming season with O’Conor. He praised O’Conor as an exceptional player, citing his considerable experience in both the English Premiership and European rugby. Wilkins also noted that his flexibility would ideally complement the squad’s current options in the outside backs.