Bradley Rests Connacht Frontliners
Connacht coach Michael Bradley has decided to rest a number of his frontline players for tonight’s Celtic League basement battle with the Ospreys.
Chris Keane in action against the Ospreys last season
Connacht coach Michael Bradley has decided to rest a number of his frontline players for tonight’s Celtic League basement battle with the Ospreys.
CELTIC LEAGUE: Friday, October 14
The Ospreys v Connacht, Swansea Stadium, 7.10pm (live Setanta Sports)
Bradley has dropped hooker John Fogarty, flanker Matt Lacey, number 8 Colm Rigney, centre James Downey and scrum half Chris Keane for the westerners’ visit to Swansea.
With Connacht’s European Challenge Cup opener against Catania just eight days away, Bradley has opted to rotate his squad.
Hooker Joe Merrigan and John Hearty both come in to make their first competitive starts for the province. Former Ireland Under-21 Hearty links up with Keith Matthews, Connacht’s sole try scorer against Ulster last Friday, in a new-look midfield.
Darren Yapp shifts to the wing, Conor O’Loughlin, a replacement for Keane against Ulster, starts at scrum half, while in the back row, Michael Swift and Brendan O’Connor come in for Lacey and Rigney, and John Muldoon moves from blindside to number 8.
Connacht, the league’s bottom side, simply have to up their performance levels and rediscover last year’s hunger after five defeats on the trot.
Surprisingly, the Ospreys are just four points above Bradley’s charges in the standings, but with a game in hand and home advantage, it’s hard to look beyond a win for Lyn Jones’s Welsh region.
Former All Black full-back Adrian Cashmore is set to make his debut for the Ospreys after recently arriving from Down Under, while Wales and Lions winger Shane Williams has shaken off a troublesome groin injury for his seasonal debut.
While current form is against them, Connacht did pinch a 10-9 win in last season’s corresponding fixture. Matt Mostyn scored a try with Paul Warwick kicking a penalty and a conversion.
OSPREYS Squad:
Backs: Adrian Cashmore, Shaun Connor, Shane Williams, Johnny Vaughton, Andrew Bishop, Leigh Davies, Damian Karauna, Matthew Jones, Jason Spice, Richard Rees.
Forwards: Jonathan Thomas, Andy Lloyd, Lee Beach, Steve Tandy, Brent Cockbain, Ian Evans, Andrew Newman, Duncan Jones, Adam Jones, Paul James, Barry Williams (Capt), Huw Bennett.
CONNACHT: Matt Mostyn; Conor McPhillips, John Hearty, Keith Matthews, Darren Yapp; Paul Warwick, Conor O’Loughlin; Ray Hogan, Joe Merrigan, Stephen Knoop, Christian Short, Andrew Farley (Capt), Michael Swift, Brendan O’Connor, John Muldoon.
Replacements: John Fogarty, Ronan Loughney, Colm Rigney, Matt Lacey, Chris Keane, James Downey, Ted Robinson.
Referee: Rob Dickson (Scotland)