Swift Is Connacht’s Only Change

Connacht travel to Scotland to take on Edinburgh at Murrayfield on Friday night (kick-off 7.30pm) and head coach Eric Elwood has named his side.

There is only one change to the starting line-up announced to face Benetton Treviso in the last round and that change comes up front with the return from injury of lock Michael Swift.

Connacht’s most-capped player, who missed out on the previous two games, will join Ireland international Mike McCarthy in the second row.

There is a reshuffle in the back row as Michael Kearney moves to number 6 and John Muldoon, who earns his 195th Connacht cap on Friday, will start at openside flanker.

On the bench, props Rodney Ah You and JP Cooney as well as flanker Mata Fifita are included in the forward replacements.

All three players featured for Connacht Eagles in last Saturday’s challenge game against Russian side Enisei STM and Ah You and Fifita both scored tries.

With the Connacht v Treviso fixture rearranged for Friday, April 26, there are now four games left for the westerners to play in the RaboDirect PRO12, and therefore a maximum of 20 match points to aim for. So, the push for a best ever finish in the league will intensify over the final weeks.

Earlier in the week, head coach Eric Elwood spoke about the importance of this week’s game at Murrayfield.

“Edinburgh is a huge game for us and it is still our intention to better last year’s finish in the league,” he said.

“We have Treviso to play away and we’ve two tough games to finish in Ulster and Glasgow who are in the top four. But we still have a hell of a lot to play for in those four games.

“There are a lot of things still in our control. We are still looking for the betterment and that improvement year on year. And that’s very much a target in our sights. It starts this weekend now in Edinburgh.”

CONNACHT (v Edinburgh): Robbie Henshaw; Danie Poolman, Eoin Griffin, Brian Murphy, Gavin Duffy (capt); Dan Parks, Kieran Marmion; Brett Wilkinson, Adrian Flavin, Ronan Loughney, Michael Swift, Mike McCarthy, Michael Kearney, John Muldoon, George Naoupu.

Replacements: Ethienne Reynecke, Rodney Ah You, JP Cooney, Andrew Browne, Mata Fifita, Paul O’Donohoe, Miah Nikora, Fetu’u Vainikolo.