Saints sign Perpignan prop after Heffernan suffers 'nasty hamstring injury'

Saints have moved to bolster their ranks at tighthead by bringing in Conor Carey from Top14 club Perpignan.
Conor Carey has joined Saints until the end of the season (picture: Roberto Payne/Northampton Saints)Conor Carey has joined Saints until the end of the season (picture: Roberto Payne/Northampton Saints)
Conor Carey has joined Saints until the end of the season (picture: Roberto Payne/Northampton Saints)

The 30-year-old joins with immediate effect after Oisin Heffernan was ruled out with what is described as 'a nasty hamstring injury'.

Carey will compete with the Ehren Painter, Paul Hill and Karl Garside for starts at Saints.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

And the Ealing-born forward brings plenty of experience, having enjoyed stints with Ealing Trailfinders, Nottingham, Connacht, Worcester Warriors and Perpignan during his career.

Carey was capped by Ireland at Under-20s level but is an England-qualified player.

He played club rugby for Ballymena and Ballynahinch, and also represented Ulster at youth level.

And Carey is now looking forward to his next chapter, having joined Saints until the end of the current season.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“I’m thrilled to get this opportunity to join Northampton Saints, ” said Carey.

“The team have started the season really well and I’m excited to get involved with the group and make an impact on the field.

“Saints have a top-quality group of tightheads, so I’m looking forward to learning from them and competing for a place in the team in the weeks ahead.”

Carey is a versatile prop who has impressed Saints scrum coach Matt Ferguson.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“We’re delighted to bring Conor in for the remainder of the season – he’s a 130kg prop forward who can play on either side of the scrum if needed," Ferguson said.

“Unfortunately Oisín Heffernan picked up a nasty hamstring injury, leaving us with only three senior tightheads, so Conor has come in to allow him to fully concentrate on his recovery.

“Ed Prowse has been going really well at Bedford Blues but remains an Academy project for us, meanwhile Conor is someone I’ve been watching for a while.

“You know anyone called into the Top14 to play front row is good in the scrum, but Conor also moves the ball pretty well and has a lot of top-flight experience behind him, so to get him in on short notice is fantastic.”

Related topics: