Buccaneers prepare to kick off new season

Buccaneers commence the new club season when they entertain Corinthians in the opening round of the Bank of Ireland Connacht Senior League at Dubarry Park, Athlone, on Saturday, kick-off 2.30pm.

The Pirates have a new look, in-house coaching group led by head coach Paul Byrne assisted by Benny Gilligan, David Henshaw and Eoin Slevin. Craig Milling returns to the fold as senior team msnager while Martin Staunton, who has retired after many years of sterling service on the playing fields, leads the seconds' coaching team.

The senior squad, which has a youthful but lively look about it, will be skippered by Frankie Hopkins for the coming campaign. Unfortunately, recent surgery rules the captain out for the early rounds of the Connacht League so he will be looking to Danny Qualter, James Kelly, Ryan O’Meara, Michael Hanley and Stephen Mannion to set the tempo.

Fergus Galvin, Cian McCann, Tom Shine, Sean O’Connell, Oisin Dolan and Cathal Walsh should be among the starters as could Conor O’Shaughnessy and Mark Earle who have joined from Galwegians.

Corinthians had a good All-Ireland League campaign last season, narrowly missing out on promotion, and are likely to field a relatively settled squad so will pose a strong threat for the hosts who are bidding to retain the title.

The Galway side had three players in the Ireland squad that qualified for the recent U-20 Rugby World Cup final – John Devine, Hugh Gavin and Fiachna Barrett. John and brother Matthew are of course sons of Mike Devine, a former great with Buccaneers.

The Connacht Senior League will give players a real opportunity to stake their claims for starting berths so an open and entertaining joust looks likely as squads are very much a work in progress at this stage.

Meanwhile, training continues on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 7pm and new players (with or without rugby experience) are always welcome to come along to Dubarry Park.