Connacht out-half JJ Hanrahan could still make an impact at international level after making an impressive start to his Connacht career, according to Bernard Jackman.
The 31-year-old, who had two spells with Munster, returned to Ireland after a year in France with Clermont, while he also had a spell in England with Northampton.
The versatile back burst onto the scene at Munster, but despite a decorated underage career with Ireland and five caps for Emerging Ireland, the Kerry native has never managed to win a Test cap.
Signed by Connacht to provide out-half competition for Jack Carty, he scored 23 points off the tee in their opening wins against Ospreys and Glasgow, before injury ruled him out of last weekend's comeback victory over Ulster.
While many had written off Hanrahan as a force in Irish rugby, Jackman told Against the Head that Deon Fourie's remarkable journey – the 37-year-old made his Springboks debut in 2022 before claiming a World Cup winner’s medal last month - is a cautionary tale not to dismiss a player due to his age.
"The Deon Fourie story at the World Cup told us not to write people off. There is a lot of time for JJ to fulfil his potential in an Irish jersey," he said.
'There is lots of time for JJ Hanrahan to fulfil his potential in an Irish jersey' - @LenihanDonal and @bernardjackman believe the Connacht out-half out-half could make a big impact back on Irish soil #rterugby #againstthehead pic.twitter.com/dhrGIMbHZM
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) November 6, 2023
Donal Lenihan agreed that Connacht will benefit from his resurgent form.
"JJ was outstanding when he was at Munster, and there was a lot of competition there. If you go back to Under-20 level, he was a contender for world player of the year," he said.
"He went to Clermont, ended up at the Dragons.
"To have two 10s of that quality and experience within your group could drive Connacht on to great things."
