Having already picked up two bonus point wins over Zebre in the Champions Cup, Connacht will be quietly confident of repeating that feat when they host the GUINNESS PRO12’s bottom side in Galway.
GUINNESS PRO12: Friday, March 3
CONNACHT (8th) v ZEBRE (12th), the Sportsground, 7.35pm (live TG4/Galway Bay FM)
Team News: The Connacht team to face Zebre tonight features just three players that started in Treviso last Sunday – Danie Poolman, Niyi Adeolokun and Bundee Aki.
Poolman, who started on the wing for the bonus point win over Benetton Treviso, shifts to full-back for this round 17 fixture.
24-year-old out-half Steve Crosbie will make his Connacht debut, starting in a new half-back partnership with John Cooney. Tom Farrell and Stacey Ili come in to complete a youthful back-line.
There are wholesale changes to the pack and Tom McCartney is handed the captaincy while John Muldoon, who has started all but one game so far this season, drops down to the replacements bench.
Ronan Loughney and Dominic Robertson-McCoy will pack down in the front row with McCartney, and Lewis Stevenson and Andrew Browne, who returns for the first time this year, make up the second row partnership.
After 12 months away from the game to overcome a serious knee injury, Eoghan Masterson makes a very welcome return to professional rugby this week. The 23-year-old, who has played with Connacht Eagles and Galwegians in recent weeks, starts at number 8 in an all-new back row with Eoin McKeon and Naulia Dawai.
Meanwhile, with the Six Nations on a week’s break, Zebre boss Victor Jimenez welcomes back Italy front rowers Dario Chistolini and hooker Tommaso d’Apice for the trip to Galway.
There are four changes to the team that lost 40-17 at home to Ulster last Sunday afternoon, including Tommaso Castello’s selection in the centre alongside fellow international Boni.
Up front, Chistolini returns at tighthead prop, experienced lock Quintin Geldenhuys partners skipper Valerio Bernabo in the engine room and blindside Matteo Cornelli, who is a permit player from Fiamme Oro Rugby in Rome, will make his PRO12 debut in the back row.
CONNACHT: Danie Poolman; Niyi Adeolokun, Bundee Aki, Tom Farrell, Stacey Ili; Steve Crosbie, John Cooney; Ronan Loughney, Tom McCartney (capt), Dominic Robertson-McCoy, Lewis Stevenson, Andrew Browne, Eoin McKeon, Naulia Dawai, Eoghan Masterson.
Replacements: Dave Heffernan, Denis Buckley, Finlay Bealham, Quinn Roux, John Muldoon, Kieran Marmion, Craig Ronaldson, Tiernan O’Halloran.
ZEBRE: Dion Berryman; Mattia Bellini, Tommaso Boni, Tommaso Castello, Lloyd Greeff; Serafin Bordoli, Guglielmo Palazzani; Bruno Postiglioni, Oliviero Fabiani, Dario Chistolini, Quintin Geldenhuys, Valerio Bernabo (capt), Matteo Cornelli, Gideon Koegelenberg, Federico Ruzza.
Replacements: Tommaso d’Apice, Andrea de Marchi, Bartholomeus le Roux, Josh Furno, Matteo Archetti, Carlo Engelbrecht, Matteo Pratichetti, Guillermo Roan.
Referee: Marius Mitrea (Italy)
Assistant Referees: Rhys Thomas (Wales), Ken Imbusch (Ireland)
Television Match Official: Jon Mason (Wales)
Match Odds (Paddy Power): Connacht to win: 1/80; Draw: 70/1; Zebre to win: 30/1
Pre-Match Quotes: Pat Lam (Connacht) – “With a five-day turnaround on the back of our trip to Italy, we had always planned to make changes to the side. This will be a great opportunity for others in the squad to show what they can do.
“I’m delighted to see Eoghan and Andrew make their return to match action at home tomorrow (Friday). The team are buzzing for them and we’re really looking forward to being back at the Sportsground.
“Having faced Zebre three times already this season, we know that we can expect a tough, physical challenge. It’s vital that we give them the respect they deserve through our preparation and execution of our own game-plan.”
Eoghan Masterson (Connacht) – “The knee is great. In the first game back I was a little bit of nervous of it. You get all of these terrible thoughts in your mind. But as the games (with Connacht Eagles and Galwegians) have went on, it’s more of a mental thing than anything else.
“I had that experience (injurying the knee) over in Zebre, and my memories from that game was that they were scoring lots of tries and they were very physical. That’s my last memory of pro rugby really.
“I would never take Zebre or any team lightly. They have a lot of internationals in their side. From a forward’s point of view, it’s always an unbelievably physical game. They are tough in the scrum and tough in the lineout.”
Top Scorers – 2016/17 GUINNESS PRO12: Connacht – Points: Jack Carty 70; Tries: Niyi Adeolokun 4; Zebre – Points: Carlo Canna 66; Tries: Dries van Schalkwyk, Giovanbattista Venditti 4 each
2016/17 TEAM FORM: Connacht – Played 15, Won 7, Lost 8, 34 Points; L 41-5 v Glasgow Warriors (home), L 32-11 v Ospreys (home), L 17-8 v Scarlets (away), W 28-15 v Edinburgh (home), W 30-25 v Ulster (home), L 24-13 v Leinster (away), L 21-16 v Newport Gwent Dragons (away), W 18-7 v Cardiff Blues (home), W 47-8 v Benetton Treviso (home), L 23-7 v Ulster (away), L 16-9 v Munster (home), L 29-7 v Ospreys (away), W 19-13 v Cardiff Blues (away), W 14-9 v Newport Gwent Dragons (home), W 34-19 v Benetton Treviso (away); Zebre – Played 14, Won 1, Lost 13, 9 Points; L 59-5 v Ospreys (away), L 11-6 v Newport Gwent Dragons (away), L 23-21 v Cardiff Blues (home), L 49-5 v Munster (away), L 33-28 v Glasgow Warriors (home), W 19-14 v Edinburgh (away), L 33-10 v Leinster (home), L 31-24 v Scarlets (home), L 23-12 v Benetton Treviso (away), L 24-19 v Edinburgh (home), L 70-6 v Leinster (away), L 40-10 v Ospreys (home), L 42-7 v Scarlets (away), L 40-17 v Ulster (home)
RECENT LEAGUE MEETINGS:
Saturday, September 7, 2013 – Connacht 25 Zebre 16, the Sportsground
Sunday, February 23, 2014 – Zebre 19 Connacht 27, Stadio XXV Aprile
Friday, November 21, 2014 – Connacht 43 Zebre 3, the Sportsground
Saturday, May 9, 2015 – Zebre 10 Connacht 40, Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi
Friday, October 16, 2015 – Connacht 34 Zebre 15, the Sportsground
Saturday, February 20, 2016 – Zebre 34 Connacht 51, Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi
MATCH FACTS:
– Connacht have won their last three matches since their 19-10 reversal in Toulouse in round 6 of the European Champions Cup
– Connacht’s only loss in their last nine matches at the Sportsground in all tournaments was to Munster in the GUINNESS PRO12 on December 31
– Zebre have not won since beating Edinburgh at BT Murrayfield in the PRO12 at the end of October
– The Italians’ only previous victory over an Irish province was when they beat Ulster in Parma in September 2014
– The two sides have met on 14 previous occasions in all tournaments (not including the abandoned the PRO12 round 3 game this season), with Connacht winning them all
– The only Italian side to have beaten Connacht in Galway were Benetton Treviso in December 2011
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