Connacht Rugby head coach Stuart Lancaster has named his matchday squad for tomorrow’s BKT United Rugby Championship meeting with Scarlets at Dexcom Stadium (k/o 19:45).
There are five changes from the side that secured a last-minute win over Glasgow Warriors last time out. In the backs, there’s a first start for outside centre John Devine, who made his debut off the bench against Montpellier in January. Chay Mullins comes onto the left wing, and there’s a first start of the season for Roscommon native Colm Reilly (pictured) at scrum-half. The rest of the backs are unchanged, with out-half Josh Ioane, inside centre Cathal Forde, right winger Shane Jennings and full-back Sam Gilbert. There are two further changes in the pack, with starts for tighthead prop Jack Aungier and blindside flanker Josh Murphy. The front row is completed by Denis Buckley, who makes his 275th appearance, and hooker Dylan Tierney-Martin. The second row partnership of David O’Connor and Joe Joyce continues, while captain Paul Boyle and number 8 Sean Jansen complete the squad. The coaching team have opted for a 6:2 split on the bench, with Seán Naughton covering the back field and Oisín McCormack wearing #23, fresh off a short-term loan spell with Harlequins. Limited tickets remain on sale at connachtrugby.ie/tickets.
Head coach Stuart Lancaster says: “Tomorrow is another important game as we aim for playoff rugby, so it’s vital we build on the momentum from the wins over Zebre and Glasgow. We have 18 players unavailable between injury and national selection, but as we’ve seen already this season, that provides an opportunity for other players to take their chance. John Devine is another exciting prospect to come through the pathway system, and he performed very well for the Eagles recently, so I’m looking forward to seeing what he can do at 13. Scarlets are a proud Welsh team who play a good brand of rugby and have picked up some notable wins this season, so we have to be at our best while feeding off the atmosphere in the new stadium.”
Connacht team v Scarlets; Friday 13th March, 19:45 @ Dexcom Stadium
Number/Name/Caps
15. Sam Gilbert (11)
14. Shane Jennings (29)
13. John Devine (1)
12. Cathal Forde (65)
11. Chay Mullins (16)
10. Josh Ioane (25)
9. Colm Reilly (30)
1. Denis Buckley (274)
2. Dylan Tierney-Martin (69)
3. Jack Aungier (96)
4. David O’Connor (18)
5. Joe Joyce (49)
6. Josh Murphy (53)
7. Paul Boyle (128) (C)
8. Sean Jansen (39)
16. Eoin de Buitléar (20)
17. Peter Dooley (58)
18. Fiachna Barrett (8)
19. Niall Murray (90)
20. Sean O’Brien (26)
21. Ben Murphy (28)
22. Seán Naughton (9)
23. Oisín McCormack (3)
Unavailable: Bundee Aki (national team), Finlay Bealham (national team), Caolin Blade (thumb), Billy Bohan (national team), Shayne Bolton (quad), Matthew Devine (knee), Oisín Dowling (knee), Hugh Gavin (shoulder), David Hawkshaw (groin), Mack Hansen (foot), Dave Heffernan (calf), Shamus Hurley-Langton (shoulder), Sam Illo (illness), Temi Lasisi (knee), Darragh Murray (national team), Cian Prendergast (national team), Byron Ralston (knee), Harry West (knee).
