**As the Mamas and the Papas once famously wrote “I’d be safe and warm if I was in LA, California dreamin’ on such a winter’s day”.** With grey skies over Connacht after a poor run of results Paul Boyle decided to leave the brown leaves in Galway behind to experience the 1960s hit-band’s California dream. While some of Connacht’s players chose to travel to places closer to home Boyle jetted off to America with team-mates Tiernan O’Halloran, Dominic Robertson-McCoy and Jarrad Butler. The Connacht quartet and two other friends spent seven days in Los Angeles – the home of beaches, palm trees and Hollywood. And flanker Boyle insisted it was a much-needed break after a bruising run of 13 successive weeks of competitive rugby. “Everyone went off in their own way, but we ended up going to LA for a week,” Boyle said. “I went with Tiernan, Dominic and Jarrad and two other lads who aren’t playing rugby. “It was great to chill out in the sun. “We had two runs out there to keep ourselves ticking over as we took our GPS systems with us and did a couple of gym sessions. “It is nice when you are running in 25 degrees rather than in the rain in Galway!” Boyle returned to training last week where he was faced with bitterly cold wind and driving rain. But fresh from his LA adventure the 23-year-old is recharged and ready to help ignite Connacht. “There was definitely a sense of excitement coming back into training,” Boyle said. “Even when we got onto the pitch everyone was buzzing and raring to go again. “At the end of that 13-week block everyone needed a break, you could feel it.
