Former ACT Brumbies coach Andy Friend has lured rising Queanbeyan flyhalf Will Goddard to Ireland to help cope with injuries at Connacht.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Goddard, an ACT schoolboys star, will return to the Brumbies in January to continue his career progression in the club's academy system.
But the injury-cover stint will give him a chance to test himself in a professional arena after Friend went searching for extra backs to add to his roster.
Goddard qualifies to play for Ireland via his grandmother and if he impresses, he could put his name on the radar for a full-time contract.
The Brumbies have been nurturing Goddard since he led the ACT schoolboys side to a drought-breaking national title in 2017.
The Waikato Chiefs were keen to lure him to New Zealand, but Goddard opted to stay in the Brumbies' system and played for the Queanbeyan Whites this year.
Friend offered him a chance to play at Connacht as cover for injured fullback Tiernan O'Halloran. He will join former Brumbies Jarrad Butler, Colby Faingaa and Kyle Godwin in the Connacht squad.
Goddard is one of several highly-rated juniors coming through the Brumbies program, with hooker Australian schools and under-18s hooker Billy Pollard signing a four-year deal this week.
Lachlan Lonergan has been promoted to the top squad, while Reesjan Pasitoa will be a contender for the vacant flyhalf role next season.
MORE RUGBY
A new-look Brumbies roster will start pre-season training on Monday, but they will be without their Wallabies stars and a handful of other players.
Lachlan McCaffrey (Japan) and Joe Powell and Pete Samu (Barbarians) will miss some of the early preparations, but Tom Cusack will return after a four-month stint in the Australian sevens program.
Cusack will take on a leadership role while fullback Tom Banks will start his bid to get more Wallabies game time in 2020 and beyond.
The Brumbies start their season with a clash against the Queensland Reds in Canberra on January 31.