 Early on there were rumours that he would play with local club Corinthians, however provincial bosses would not allow it.Duffy first played Celtic League rugby with Connacht in 2001, and played seven times in the 2001–02 Celtic League and six times in the 2001–02 European Challenge Cup, scoring one try in the league.In the following season, he played twice in the league and five times in the Challenge.