Connacht begin a run of three successive away games with a trip to Parma where their GUINNESS PRO12 clash with Zebre last month was abandoned due to bad weather. The Italians were leading 22-10 at half-time.
EUROPEAN CHAMPIONS CUP – POOL 2: Sunday, October 23
ZEBRE (4th) v CONNACHT (2nd), Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi, 4.15pm local time/3.15pm Irish time (live BT Sport 2 red button/beIN Sports/Galway Bay FM/highlights TG4)
Team News: The Connacht team to face Zebre in round 2 of the European Champions Cup at Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi has been named. Ahead of the trip to Italy, Pat Lam has made seven personnel changes to the side that defeated Toulouse last weekend.
In the injury-enforced absence of Tiernan O’Halloran, Cian Kelleher starts at full-back for the second time this season. New signing Stacey Ili is handed his first start having made two recent appearances from the bench.
Returning from injury, Peter Robb joins up with Craig Ronaldson in midfield while Ireland international Kieran Marmion – an influential second half replacement against Toulouse – will don the number 9 shirt.
Hooker Shane Delahunt starts for the first time this season and packs down in the front row with the incoming JP Cooney and Finlay Bealham who shifts over to the tighthead side.
Quinn Roux is once again named to start in the second row having had to withdraw late before the game last weekend. The province’s back row is also changed with blindside flanker Sean O’Brien earning his first start of the current campaign.
Following his return from injury, the 21-year-old O’Brien, a former Ireland Under-20 captain, turned in an impressive cameo performance from the bench against Toulouse.
Commenting on the team selection, Pat Lam said: “The best thing about our improved performances individually and collectively as a team is that it has brought back good competition for places in the squad. With that in mind, and obviously some niggles and injuries, we’ve made some changes for our trip to Italy.
“With Zebre’s target of winning their first Champions Cup game, we are fully expecting to see the real Zebre front up at home. Our whole week has been focused on our continued improvement in team performance which will give us the best chance to face their challenge head on.”
The players currently on Connacht’s injured/unavailable list are Tom McCartney, Denis Buckley, Ronan Loughney, Ivan Soroka, Conan O’Donnell, Ben Marshall, Nepia Fox-Matamua, Eoghan Masterson, Rory Moloney, John Cooney, Marnitz Boshoff, Eoin Griffin, Matt Healy, O’Halloran, Josh Rowland, Darragh Leader, Ciaran Gaffney and Cormac Brennan.
Meanwhile, unsurprisingly, Zebre boss Gianluca Guidi has made wholesale changes to the team that went down heavily to Wasps (82-14) in a one-sided opening round fixture.
Second row and captain George Biagi is one of only five survivors in the starting line-up, with full-back Edoardo Padovani, Giulio Bisegni and young half-backs Carlo Canna and Marcello Violi – aged 24 and 23 – all added to the back-line. Bisegni’s inclusion sees Tommaso Boni move to inside centre.
Andrea Lovotti, Oliviero Fabiani, Pietro Ceccarelli form a new front row combination, while Biagi will have Quintin Geldenhuys for company in the engine room, and Maxime Mbanda and Johan Meyer return to a back row led by South African-born number 8 Dries van Schalkwyk, an Italy debutant earlier this year.
ZEBRE: Edoardo Padovani; Gabriele di Giulio, Giulio Bisegni, Tommaso Boni, Giambattista Venditti; Carlo Canna, Marcello Violi; Andrea Lovotti, Oliviero Fabiani, Pietro Ceccarelli, Quintin Geldenhuys, George Biagi (capt), Maxime Mbanda, Johan Meyer, Dries van Schalkwyk.
Replacements: Tommaso d’Apice, Bruno Postiglioni, Guillermo Roan, Josh Furno, Federico Ruzza, Guglielmo Palazzani, Tommy Castello, Giovanni d’Onofrio.
CONNACHT: Cian Kelleher; Niyi Adeolokun, Peter Robb, Craig Ronaldson, Stacey Ili; Jack Carty, Kieran Marmion; JP Cooney, Shane Delahunt, Finlay Bealham, Quinn Roux, Andrew Browne, Sean O’Brien, Jake Heenan, John Muldoon (capt).
Replacements: Dave Heffernan, Dominic Robertson-McCoy, Conor Carey, Ultan Dillane, Eoin McKeon, Caolin Blade, Shane O’Leary, Bundee Aki.
Referee: Mathieu Raynal (France)
Assistant Referees: Tual Trainini, Thomas Dejean (both France)
Television Match Official: Eric Gauzins (France)
Match Odds (Paddy Power): Zebre to win: 16/5; Draw: 30/1; Connacht to win: 2/9
Pre-Match Quotes: John Muldoon (Connacht) – “Everyone is disrespecting Zebre after the result they had against Wasps but we are not going to be disrespecting them. But there is a huge belief around this side and everyone fits in.
“There would have been times in the past when lads would have jumping up to the ceiling at beating a side who maybe did not have the tradition and heritage of Toulouse but that is not the case with this side.
“I think we have come a long way and we know that we are making a lot of mistakes still and we know that we can still improve our game in a few areas.
“We have left multiple opportunities out there in games this season but we are starting to find a way to make the most of them. We know we will need a good professional performance if we are to get the outcome we want against Zebre and that has been the focus.”
Craig Ronaldson (Connacht) – “We want to get a big start, we don’t want to give them a sniff this weekend. Watching the (abandoned) game at the time, it just goes to show that if we are not 100% focused…Zebre are a good team especially on their home patch.
“They might have rested a few players last week as well, they might have been having an eye on us this weekend. But for ourselves we just have to be 100% mentally and physically prepared for what’s going to be a tough game. We have got to back up the week we just had and keep getting those points.
“We’re not expecting ourselves to only have a big performance every couple of weeks. We want to back it up a lot more. That’s where we got to at the end of last season and that’s where we want to stay now, that we are able to put in big performance after big performance and really prove that we want to be at the top table of European rugby.”
Current Form – Zebre – (GUINNESS PRO12): Lost 59-5 v Ospreys (away), Lost 11-6 v Newport Gwent Dragons (away), Lost 23-21 v Cardiff Blues (home), Lost 49-5 v Munster (away), Lost 33-28 v Glasgow Warriors (home); (Champions Cup): Lost 82-14 v Zebre (away)
Connacht – (GUINNESS PRO12): Lost 41-5 v Glasgow Warriors (home), Lost 32-11 v Ospreys (home), Lost 17-8 v Scarlets (away), Won 28-15 v Edinburgh (home), Won 30-25 v Ulster (home); (Champions Cup): Won 23-21 v Toulouse (home)
Top Scorers – 2016/17 European Champions Cup: Zebre – Points: Federico Ruzza 10; Tries: Federico Ruzza 2; Connacht – Points: Jack Carty 6; Tries: Niyi Adeolokun, Tiernan O’Halloran, Bundee Aki 1 each
Previous European Meetings: 4
Saturday, January 11, 2014 – Pool 3 – Connacht 20 Zebre 3, the Sportsground
Saturday, October 19, 2013 – Pool 3 – Zebre 6 Connacht 33, Stadio XXV Aprile
Friday, January 18, 2013 – Pool 3 – Connacht 25 Zebre 20, the Sportsground
Saturday, October 13, 2012 – Pool 3 – Zebre 10 Connacht 19, Stadio XXV Aprile
Match Facts –
– This will be the fifth meeting between the teams in Europe with Connacht winning each of the previous four
– Zebre have been restricted to 14 points or fewer in each of their six home games in the Champions Cup, losing each of those matches
– Connacht won two of their three away games the last time they were in the Champions Cup, beating Zebre and Toulouse in 2013/14
– Zebre missed 45 tackles during the defeat by Wasps in round 1, managing a tackle completion rate of just 75%
– Connacht’s tally of 18 clean breaks against Toulouse was the most in round 1
European Cup Records:
Zebre –
2013/14: Failed to qualify from Pool 3
2012/13: Failed to qualify from Pool 3
Connacht –
2013/14: Failed to qualify from Pool 3
2012/13: Failed to qualify from Pool 3
2011/12: Failed to qualify from Pool 6
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