Armed with the best attack in the GUINNESS PRO12 this season (36 tries scored), Connacht are Parma-bound as they visit a Zebre team that was hammered 52-0 by Leinster in the last round.
GUINNESS PRO12: Saturday, February 20
ZEBRE (11th) v CONNACHT (2nd), Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi, 5.30pm local time/4.30pm Irish time (live Rai Sport/TG4/Galway Bay FM)
Team News: As Connacht travel to Italy for round 15 of the GUINNESS PRO12 against Zebre, head coach Pat Lam has made five personnel changes to the team that lined out in the bonus point victory over the Newport Gwent Dragons.
Ireland international Kieran Marmion returns to the back-line and links up with AJ MacGinty at half-back. Winger Niyi Adeolokun will play his 10th game this season in a pacey back-three with Tiernan O’Halloran and Connacht’s top try scorer this season, Matt Healy.
Finlay Bealham has also been released from Ireland squad duty this week to take his place in the front row, having featured in every game for Connacht this season. 25-year-old lock Ben Marshall has returned from the arm injury that has kept him sidelined since November to start in the second row alongside Aly Muldowney.
Galway-born Eoin McKeon is promoted from the bench to wear the number 8 jersey in a back row with Jake Heenan and captain John Muldoon.
Meanwhile, Zebre boss Gianluca Guidi welcomes back four of their 13 internationals following the first break in this season’s RBS 6 Nations Championship.
Prop Dario Chistolini, top try-scoring back rower Dries van Schalkwyk, out-half Kelly Haimona and centre Giulio Bisegni will feature in a team that shows six changes to the one that lost 52-0 to Leinster in Dublin. Winger Dion Berryman (shoulder) and flanker Jean Cook (muscle strain) miss out through injury.
New Zealander Mils Muliaina will face his former Connacht team-mates from full-back, coming into the back-line along with Giulio Toniolatti, Bisegni and Haimona.
Tighthead Chistolini takes over from Guillermo Roan in the front row and number 8 van Schalkwyk replaces the injured Cook to anchor the Italians’ scrum. National Academy scrum half Matteo Panunzi, a current Italian Under-20 international, could make his PRO12 debut off the bench.
ZEBRE: Mils Muliaina; Giulio Toniolatti, Giulio Bisegni, Matteo Pratichetti, Kayle van Zyl; Kelly Haimona, Luke Burgess; Bruno Postiglioni, Oliviero Fabiani, Dario Chistolini, Gideon Koegelenberg, Marco Bortolami (capt), Emiliano Caffini, Johan Meyer, Dries van Schalkwyk.
Replacements: Emiliano Coria, Andrea de Marchi, Pietro Ceccarelli, Federico Ruzza, Filippo Cristiano, Matteo Panunzi, Ulrich Beyers, Tommaso Boni.
CONNACHT: Tiernan O’Halloran; Niyi Adeolokun, Bundee Aki, Craig Ronaldson, Matt Healy; AJ MacGinty, Kieran Marmion; Denis Buckley, Tom McCartney, Finlay Bealham, Ben Marshall, Aly Muldowney, John Muldoon (capt), Jake Heenan, Eoin McKeon.
Replacements: Dave Heffernan, Ronan Loughney, Rodney Ah You, George Naoupu, Eoghan Masterson, Caolin Blade, Peter Robb, Danie Poolman.
Referee: Gary Conway (Ireland)
Assistant Referees: Giuseppe Vivarini, Simone Boaretto (both Italy)
Television Match Official: Stefano Penne (Italy)
Match Odds (Paddy Power): Zebre to win: 21/10; Draw: 17/1; Connacht to win: 2/5
Pre-Match Quotes: Pat Lam (Connacht) – “As we head away on one of the longer away trips in the PRO12 schedule, it was great to have some of our Irish boys back from camp to train with us as well as a few guys coming off the injured list.
“We’ve been over to play Zebre a fair few times in the last couple of years between PRO12 and Europe and they’ve always challenged us, particularly up front. There’s no doubt they will be fired up to make amends for their big defeat to Leinster last week.
“We’ve seen what they can do to teams this season, particulary on their home ground, so we will need to be right on top of our game mentally.
“While it’s extremely tight at the top end of the table, we are solely focused on the quality of our performance on Saturday to get the points on offer in what will be another tough test on the road.”
Gianluca Guidi (Zebre) – “It was an off-night where Leinster dominated us. We struggled in the kicking game and with their counter-attacking from their good three-quarters – with that tactic you can’t compete.
“It’s a unique time in our season: we knew it would be but we have to stick together, which we have done well up to now. We have to analyse the game and ask some questions of ourselves firstly.
“This Saturday we will have the chance to put things right against Connacht, who are top of the league. In difficult moments we’ve always responded well – we need to react immediately and get back on track.”
Top Scorers – 2015/16 GUINNESS PRO12: Zebre – Points: Carlo Canna 47; Tries: Dries van Schalkwyk 5; Connacht – Points: Jack Carty 71; Tries: Matt Healy 5
RECENT LEAGUE MEETINGS:
Friday, March 1, 2013 – Connacht 23 Zebre 19, the Sportsground
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
MATCH FACTS:
– Zebre suffered their second biggest GUINNESS PRO12 defeat on their visit to Leinster last Friday and have only ever beaten an Irish province once before, 13-6 when Ulster visited Parma in September 2014
– Connacht have the best attack in the PRO12 having scored 36 tries in their campaign so far
– The westerners have won their last three matches in all competitions and have also won on their last four visits to Italy
– The two sides have met on eleven previous occasions in all competitions with Connacht winning them all, the most recent four with try-scoring bonus points, while Zebre have secured just two losing bonus points (both in 2013)
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