The Connacht squad to take on Leinster in the URC tomorrow (7.35pm) at The Sportsground has been named, with the club beginning a season-defining block of games across two competitions.
Andy Friend and his coaching team have opted for seven changes from the side that lined out against Edinburgh three weeks ago. Denis Buckley, Niall Murray, Jarrad Butler, Kieran Marmion, Oran McNulty, Tom Farrell and Tiernan O’Halloran all come into the starting 15.
The backs are completed by captain Jack Carty, centre Tom Day and winger John Porch, while the tight five features hooker Dave Heffernan, tighthead prop Jack Aungier, and lock Oisín Dowling. There’s no changes on either flank meaning Cian Prendergast and Conor Oliver are retained.
Saturday will see Connacht and Leinster face-off for the first of three encounters in the space of four weeks, with the historic Heineken Champions Cup knockout games beginning in two weeks’ time.
Commenting on the team announcement, Head Coach Andy Friend says:
“It’s been three weeks since our last game so we’ve had a long time to dwell on the Edinburgh performance and understand what happened, and we’ve had two good weeks of training under our belt since then.
There’s been no talk about the Champions Cup games because tomorrow is a massive fixture in its own right. Our backs are against the wall if we’re to reach the playoffs and with a massive crowd behind us I’m sure all 23 men will put in a performance I know they’re capable of.”
Only a handful of tickets remain available for tomorrow’s game at connachtrugby.ie/tickets, and we do not anticipate any tickets being available outside the ground.
CONNACHT RUGBY MATCHDAY 23 VS LEINSTER RUGBY
Friday 26th March, 19:35 @ The Sportsground
Number/Name/Caps
15. Tiernan O’Halloran (201)
14. John Porch (52)
13. Tom Farrell (73)
12. Tom Daly (57)
11. Oran McNulty (7)
10. Jack Carty (173) (C)
9. Kieran Marmion (202)
1. Denis Buckley (203)
2. Dave Heffernan (158)
3. Jack Aungier (26)
4. Oisin Dowling (20)
5. Niall Murray (30)
6. Cian Prendergast (24)
7. Conor Oliver (35)
8. Jarrad Butler (90)
Replacements
16. Jonny Murphy (19)
17. Matthew Burke (34)
18. Greg McGrath (4)
19. Ultan Dillane (125)
20. Paul Boyle (70)
21. Caolin Blade (144)
22. Sammy Arnold (33)
23. Diarmuid Kilgallen (6)
