Connacht bring former Ulster hooker Adam McBurney in for next season

The former Ireland U-20s international, who was a teammate of James Ryan, Andrew Porter, Jacob Stockdale and Hugo Keenan at the 2016 U-20s World Cup, has spent the last three seasons at Edinburgh and recently had a spell at Gloucester on loan.

Connacht have also added Piers O’Connor to their roster for next season as Pete Wilkins aims to improve on a mixed first season.

The westerners are in contention for a top eight finish, but have a difficult run-in.

“Adam is a player with a huge amount of experience gathered in a relatively short period,” Wilkins said of the Ballymena native.

"He’s still only 27 but has played URC, Premiership, Champions Cup and Challenge Cup rugby so will have plenty to offer us.

"We look forward to welcoming him to Connacht and providing an environment for him to continue to grow his game, and I’ve no doubt he will become an important member of the squad next season.”

McBurney is hoping to make an impact. “I’m really looking forward to making the move to Connacht next season,” he said.

"I’ve had positive discussions with Pete and his team there and I’m really impressed by where the club is going and the potential for me to make an impact there. I can’t wait to move back to Ireland, get settled and help the club achieve success.”