Staying: Rodney Ah You and JP Cooney

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• Connacht

Connacht props Rodney Ah You and JP Cooney have signed one and two-year contract extensions respectively with the province.

Both props can play on either side of the scrum giving the Connacht coaching team plenty of choices up front going forward.

Ah You joined Connacht in 2010, coming from Canterbury (NPC). Growing up in Christchurch and attending Christchurch Boys High, the former boxer only switched to playing rugby full-time when he was 16 years old.

Five years later, he caught the attention of Head Coach Eric Elwood while playing for New Zealand's juniors and soon made the move to the West of Ireland. Over the last three years Ah You has notched up 41 senior caps, whilst also contributing regularly to the Connacht Eagles.

Garryowen's Bateman Cup winning prop Cooney has also put pen to paper on a contract extension, keeping him at the club until 2015. Cooney joined the club last summer and has made a notable impression for the Connacht Eagles in the British & Irish Cup this season.

The 22-year-old from Tipperary earned his first cap for the province in December 2012 when he came off the bench against Michael Bradley's side Edinburgh. A week later, he made his Heineken Cup debut during Connacht's 22-14 Heineken Cup victory over French side Biarritz.

"Rodney is a young prop with a lot of potential, who can play on both sides of the scrum," said Connacht assistant coach Dan McFarland.

"He offers size and power, which can be very effective at scrum time and provides big impacts around the park. He has shown good progress in his time in Ireland and we are hopeful that he will push on again in the coming year."

"JP can also play on either side of the scrum and he has demonstrated to us in a short period of time that he has the potential, desire and an ability to learn. I am very much looking forward to working with him over the next two years."