Celtic League: Two Changes For Connacht
Fresh from their Challenge Cup win in Montpellier last week, Connacht have made two changes to their side for Friday’s Celtic league visit to Hughenden to meet Glasgow.
Connacht full-back Matt Mostyn
Fresh from their Challenge Cup win in Montpellier last week, Connacht have made two changes to their side for Friday’s Celtic league visit to Hughenden to meet Glasgow.
CELTIC LEAGUE: Friday, November 4
Glasgow Warriors v Connacht, Hughenden, 7.30pm
Connacht, the Celtic League’s bottom side, have a good deal of ground to make up, being five points adrift of the second-from-bottom Dragons.
A run of some sorts is evidently needed, especially after six straight league defeats. But what better way than to start at fellow strugglers Glasgow.
The Scots lie ninth after five successive losses, and were turned over by Leinster 33-20 in the Heineken Cup at Hughenden last Sunday.
Michael Bradley’s will not have found memories of their last visit to the home of Glasgow rugby – they were held scoreless in a 35-0 romp for the Warriors back in December of last year.
Bradley has made two enforced changes to the side which triumphed 19-16 in Montpellier in the Challenge Cup last Friday. Brendan O’Connor comes in as openside flanker to replace knee strain-victim Matt Lacey, while former Ireland Under-21 centre John Hearty has been suffering from a recurrence of a hamstring injury and is replaced by UL Bohs flyer Keith Matthews.
Tongan international Andrew Mailei, who arrived in Galway last Monday, is being kept in reserve and looks set to debut at home to Leinster on December 3.
Glasgow, meanwhile, are resting a number of their frontliners. Scotland squad members Andrew Henderson and Gregor Hayter are on the bench, while Rory Lamont, captain Dan Parks, who had a howler with the boot against Leinster, and Craig Hamilton are being rested.
Scrum-half Graeme Beveridge takes over as skipper.
Previous Meetings: 01/02: Connacht 29 Glasgow 34; 02/03: Glasgow 29 Connacht 7; 03/04: Glasgow 19 Connacht 30, Connacht 28 Glasgow 28; 04/05: Connacht 31 Glasgow 15, Glasgow 35 Connacht 0
GLASGOW: 2005/06 CL Form: LLWLLWL (Includes Free Weekend); Top Scorers: Points: Dan Parks 50; Tries: Rory Lamont, Mike Roberts 3
CONNACHT: 2005/06 CL Form: WLLLLLL; Top Scorers: Points: Paul Warwick 44; Tries: Keith Matthews, Conor McPhillips 2
GLASGOW: Graydon Staniforth; Hefin O’Hare, Graeme Morrison, Scott Barrow, Colin Shaw; Colin Gregor, Graeme Beveridge (capt); Kevin Tkachuk, Scott Lawson, Lee Harrison, Tim Barker, Dan Turner, Paul Dearlove, John Barclay, John Beattie.
Replacements: Fergus Thomson, Stuart Corsar, Gregor Hayter, Steve Swindall, Sam Pinder, Andrew Henderson, Eddie McLaughlin.
CONNACHT: Matt Mostyn; Ted Robinson, Darren Yapp, Keith Matthews, Connor McPhillips; Paul Warwick, Chris Keane; Ray Hogan, John Fogarty, Stephen Knoop, Christian Short, Andrew Farley (capt), John Muldoon, Brendan O’Connor, Colm Rigney.
Replacements: Joe Merrigan, Dan McFarland, David Gannon, Michael Swift, Conor O’Loughlin, David Slemen, Daniel Riordan.
Referee: Tim Hayes (Wales)