JJ Hanrahan will go to South Africa with Connacht for the first time - having wooed incoming boss Pete Wilkins with his hunger levels last term.

It was while the province were in Springbok country in the previous when boss Wilkins first spoke to the 31-year-old man from Kerry about a prospective move to the west.

Hanrahan left Munster for the second time two years ago, and spent a season with Clermont before heading to Dragons last term.

READ MORE: Connacht are without World Cup stars for South Africa trip

Wilkins, who was replacing Andy Friend in the hot-seat at the end of the season, was keen on having an experienced out-half to support Jack Crowley and he believes he has what he was looking for in Hanrahan.

“We’re delighted to have been able to recruit JJ," said Wilkins. "To have someone of his calibre and with his experience is massive for the club to have him there alongside Jack in terms of adding to our squad.

“It’s not just having the option of picking both or using both in a matchday 23. It’s not just a matter of being able to pick one or the other depending on the game plan.

"It’s also what they bring to the rest of the group in terms of whichever team they’re training with, whether it’s the selected team or otherwise.

“The experience and the learning that they can pass on to some of those other backs and players in that team, I think that’s massive for us.

“The key thing with JJ was the hunger.

"When I first spoke to him we were actually in South Africa last season and he just talked about the stage he was at in his career and what he still wants to achieve personally, but also what he wanted to bring to a group and into a club.

“So, to have someone with that drive, at this stage of their career, backed with that experience is a great asset.

"We’ve benefitted from that and I think Jack is benefitting from that, and it’s brilliant to have both of them available.”

Connacht welcome France 2023 veteran Finlay Bealham back into a 29-strong squad for the trip to face bottom side the Sharks and then the side that replaced the westerners at the summit of the URC table, the Sharks.

But Bundee Aki is continuing to rehab a hamstring issue and, along with fellow Ireland World Cup star Mack Hansen (ankle), has remained at home.

Wilkins is planning on Hansen being ready to face Leinster in Galway when Connacht return, with Aki making his comeback at the start of the Champions Cup pool stages in early December.

Smarting after the late defeat at Edinburgh on Saturday, Connacht's first of the new season after three home victories, Wilkins declared: "We’ll go in looking for two wins.

"When you add in the travel and the attrition that comes in with that and the back-to-back away games on the back of an Edinburgh trip that adds a little bit to the mix.

“They’ll be two very challenging games in terms of the physicality and the conditions we’ll play in.

"But the way our rugby is progressing we’d be confident that we can give them both a really good game, and if we can get everything right on the night I think we can assert our game on them."

Connacht travelling squad for Sharks and Bulls

Forwards: Finlay Bealham, Denis Buckley, Peter Dooley, Oisín Dowling, Dave Heffernan, Shamus Hurley-Langton, Sam Illo, Sean Jansen, Joe Joyce, Tadgh McElroy, Darragh Murray, Niall Murray, Conor Oliver, Sean O’Brien, Dominic Robertson-McCoy, Cian Prendergast, Dylan Tierney-Martin.

Backs: Caolin Blade, Jack Carty, Tom Farrell, Cathal Forde, JJ Hanrahan, David Hawkshaw, Diarmuid Kilgallen, Tiernan O’Halloran, John Porch, Byron Ralston, Colm Reilly, Andrew Smith.

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