Connacht will look to improve their poor record against Cardiff Blues – just one win in 11 meetings – as the sides lock horns in round 3 of the GUINNESS PRO12 in Galway.
GUINNESS PRO12: Saturday, October 3
CONNACHT (5th) v CARDIFF BLUES (7th), the Sportsground, 5pm (live Galway Bay FM)
Team News: Connacht head coach Pat Lam has named his team to play Cardiff Blues at the Sportsground on Saturday. There are three changes to the side that started against Glasgow Warriors last time out.
Finlay Bealham comes into the front row for his first start of the season, replacing Ireland international Rodney Ah You who picked up a hamstring injury during the week.
Galway man Eoin McKeon returns from injury to line out at number 8 in a back row combination with captain John Muldoon and Nepia-Fox Matamua (pictured below). Ireland international Kieran Marmion will start at scrum half in an otherwise unchanged back-line.
From the bench, experienced forwards Aly Muldowney and George Naoupu are in line to make their seasonal debuts, while year one Academy prop Conan O’Donnell is named in the matchday squad for the first time. The 19-year-old from Sligo has nine Ireland Under-20 caps from last season’s World Rugby U-20 Championship and Six Nations competitions.
Meanwhile, winger Richard Smith will make his first appearance of the Guinness PRO12 season as Cardiff Blues head to Galway to tackle Connacht.
The fit-again Smith is one of three changes made to the Cardiff side that lost to Leinster as Danny Wilson’s charges look to return to winning ways in league action.
Lock Lou Reed will also start his first game of the campaign as he links up with Jarrad Hoeata in the second row. The final change comes in the back row where Ellis Jenkins is handed the number 7 jersey. Captain Josh Navidi moves to blindside flanker and Josh Turnbull operates at number 8.
Veteran hooker Matthew Rees could make his first appearance of the season from the bench. He is joined among the replacements by highly-rated Wales Under-20 prop Dillon Lewis.
CONNACHT: Tiernan O’Halloran; Danie Poolman, Rory Parata, Bundee Aki, Matt Healy; Jack Carty, Kieran Marmion; Denis Buckley, Tom McCartney, Finlay Bealham, Quinn Roux, Andrew Browne, John Muldoon (capt), Nepia Fox-Matamua, Eoin McKeon.
Replacements: Dave Heffernan, JP Cooney, Conan O’Donnell, Aly Muldowney, George Naoupu, John Cooney, Craig Ronaldson, Fionn Carr.
CARDIFF BLUES: Dan Fish; Aled Summerhill, Tom Isaacs, Gavin Evans, Richard Smith; Rhys Patchell, Tavis Knoyle; Sam Hobbs, Kristian Dacey, Craig Mitchell, Jarrad Hoeata, Lou Reed, Josh Navidi (capt), Ellis Jenkins, Josh Turnbull.
Replacements: Matthew Rees, Thomas Davies, Dillon Lewis, James Down, Manoa Vosawai, Lewis Jones, Gareth Davies, Garyn Smith.
Referee: Neil Hennessy (Wales)
Assistant Referees: Kieran Barry, Paul Haycock (both Ireland)
Match Odds (Paddy Power): Connacht to win: 3/10; Draw: 17/1; Cardiff Blues to win: 11/4
Pre-Match Quotes: Pat Lam (Connacht) – “Having recently lost Rodney, Ultan (Dillane) and Eoghan (Masterson) to injury, we see some changes to the team from last time out. Again, it’s a very young side, especially the back-line, so it’s always pleasing to be able to call on the experience of guys like Aly and George from the bench.
“Young Conan has been called up. We are low on tightheads with Nathan (White) away at the World Cup. It’s probably a bit earlier than Conan expected to be playing PRO12 rugby but he is a talented player who has a lot of experience with the Under-20s. He has prepared well this week in training and I have no doubt he will grab the opportunity with both hands if he’s called on.
“The boys can’t wait to get back out and play again and having our home support behind us will certainly help in our fight for points.
“Cardiff are a good side who have had a similar start to the season as us. We’ve both had a little more time to prepare for this game than normal schedules would allow, so it’s certainly set up to be a lively encounter.”
Danny Wilson (Cardiff Blues) – “We go to a very tough venue and very tough opposition in Connacht to try and get a win. The boys are motivated and excited about the trip. Connacht are a good side who are well coached by Pat Lam and well organised. At home they are a very hard side to beat.
“They are a passionate side at home and are proud of their home venue – it’s a difficult away fixture for us in the middle of four difficult away fixtures in Ireland.
“It’s not a game we take lightly at all and we’ve prepared well and were looking forward to getting out there. It will be a real achievement if we can come away with a win.”
Top Scorers – 2015/16 GUINNESS PRO12: Connacht – Points: Jack Carty 26; Tries: Nepia Fox-Matamua, Danie Poolman 2 each; Cardiff Blues – Points: Rhys Patchell 32; Tries: Rhys Patchell, Josh Turnbull 3 each
RECENT LEAGUE MEETINGS:
Saturday, September 1, 2012 – Connacht 9 Cardiff Blues 13, the Sportsground
Friday, February 22, 2013 – Cardiff Blues 22 Connacht 26, Cardiff Arms Park
Friday, September 13, 2013 – Cardiff Blues 21 Connacht 10, Cardiff Arms Park
Saturday, May 3, 2014 – Connacht 15 Cardiff Blues 22, the Sportsground
Friday, October 3, 2014 – Connacht 24 Cardiff Blues 24, the Sportsground
Friday, March 6, 2015 – Cardiff Blues 18 Connacht 17, BT Sport Cardiff Arms Park
MATCH FACTS:
– Connacht have begun the GUINNESS PRO12 campaign with a home victory over the Dragons and a two-league point defeat in Glasgow in round 2 – only the third time they had picked up a losing bonus and try-scoring bonus point in the same game
– Connacht’s only defeat to Welsh opposition in the last five such matches in Galway was to the Ospreys in May
– Cardiff Blues achieved an 11-try demolition of Zebre in round 1 but then slipped up to Leinster in Dublin the following week
– The Blues have lost their last seven away fixtures since overcoming Wasps 45-42 at the Ricoh Arena in the LV= Cup in February, an encounter in which they were losing by 25 points with less than half an hour left
– Connacht have won just one of their last eleven clashes with the Blues: 26-22 at BT Sport Cardiff Arms Park in 2013
– The Blues’ lone away win at an Irish province since January 2013 came when they visited Galway at the end of the 2013/14 PRO12 season
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