Colm Reilly and Conor Kenny have been handed their first Connacht starts after they were named in the starting XV to face Scarlets at The Sportsground on Saturday night (k/o 7.35pm).
Ballinasloe native Colm Reilly made his debut off the bench in Connacht’s last outing – a bonus point win in Edinburgh – and he’s now been handed the number 9 jersey for the first time with the returning Jack Carty partnering him at out-half. Kieran Marmion has been released from international duty to be named among the replacements.
Kenny meanwhile has made 7 appearances as a replacement since making his debut at the start of last season. The tighthead prop starts for the first time alongside Shane Delahunt and Paddy McAllister who also enjoys his first start of the campaign.
Kenny is another product of the Connacht grassroots system, having played for Buccaneers RFC and Garbally College where he won a Connacht Schools Cup.
Ultan Dillane returns from Ireland camp to start in the second row alongside Gavin Thornbury, while the back row is unchanged from the Edinburgh win with Jarrad Butler captaining the side from openside flanker, Paul Boyle starting on the opposite flank and Abraham Papali’i at number 8.
The centres consist of Tom Daly and Sammy Arnold, while in the back three the in-form duo of winger Alex Wootton and full-back John Porch keep their place in the side. Connacht’s record try-scorer Matt Healy makes his first start of the season on the opposite wing.
Commenting ahead of the game, Head Coach Andy Friend said:
“While having two postponed games was disappointing, we’ve made sure to take a positive approach to the situation. We’ve had a great few weeks training and it’s given some players the opportunity to reach full fitness again. It’s also our first home game in six weeks so we’re looking forward to that.”
Regarding his team selection, Friend added:
“In Conor and Colm we have two more Academy graduates making their first starts which is a real positive for us as a club. We’ve also got plenty of experience available to us again since the Edinburgh game, like Jack Carty, Ultan Dillane, Kieran Marmion and Matt Healy. So we’re in a healthy spot overall and we can’t wait to get back playing.”
CONNACHT MATCHDAY SQUAD vs Scarlets Rugby
Saturday 14th November @ The Sportsground (k/o 7.35pm)
Number/Name/Caps
15. John Porch (21)
14. Alex Wootton (4)
13. Sammy Arnold (4)
12. Tom Daly (28)
11. Matt Healy (137)
10. Jack Carty (142)
9. Colm Reilly (1)
1. Paddy McAllister (12)
2. Shane Delahunt (80)
3. Conor Kenny (7)
4. Ultan Dillane (98)
5. Gavin Thornbury (42)
6. Paul Boyle (43)
7. Jarrad Butler (C) (59)
8. Abraham Papali’i (2)
16. Jonny Murphy (8)
17. Denis Buckley (182)
18. Jack Aungier (4)
19. Eoghan Masterson (94)
20. Conor Oliver (5)
21. Kieran Marmion (169)
22. Tom Farrell (60)
23. Peter Sullivan (3)
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