Connacht’s self-titled ‘Month of Champions’ continues as they look to improve their frustratingly poor recent record against Welsh opposition, welcoming the 2017 champions and last season’s beaten finalists, the Scarlets, to the Sportsground.
GUINNESS PRO14: Saturday, September 22
CONNACHT (5th, Con A) v SCARLETS (3rd, Con B), the Sportsground, 5.15pm (live TG4/eir Sport 2/Premier Sports/Galway Bay FM)
Team News: Robin Copeland will make his Connacht debut in Saturday’s GUINNESS PRO14 encounter with the Scarlets at the Sportsground. The number 8’s inclusion is one of six changes to the side that lost 17-10 to Edinburgh.
Ireland International Bundee Aki is also included in the starting XV having come off the bench at BT Murrayfield to make his seasonal bow. Aki is reunited in midfield with Tom Farrell who has recovered from the stomach bug that ruled him out last weekend.
Cian Kelleher is named on the right wing and is part of a back-three that includes Matt Healy on the opposite wing and Tiernan O’Halloran at full-back, with Niyi Adeolokun, the province’s lone try scorer against Edinburgh, providing back-up from the bench.
Denis Buckley is back in at loosehead prop to make his third start of the season, while Quinn Roux slots into the second row alongside Gavin Thornbury. Paul Boyle makes way for fellow Gorey RFC product Copeland at number 8 in an otherwise unchanged back row.
Commenting on Copeland’s impending debut, the westerners’ head coach Andy Friend said: “We have been really impressed with Robin in the pre-season both on and off the field. His energy and maturity have been a big addition to the wider group. He played 40 minutes for the Eagles side last weekend and he came through that okay after a niggly injury, so he is good to go for the Scarlets game.
“The Scarlets are a quality side and we expect a huge challenge from them. They are one of the top teams in this competition, so it is a massive game for us. We have a really healthy competition in our squad at the moment and that is exactly what we need as the big games keep coming.”
Tickets for Connacht v Scarlets are on sale now at connachtrugby.ie/tickets. At half-time the victorious Connacht Under-18 Men’s and Women’s teams will take to the field after their historic recent campaigns. It is the first time in Connacht’s history that Interprovincial titles have been won by both male and female sides in the same year.
Meanwhile, Scarlets boss Wayne Pivac has been able to select returning out-half Rhys Patchell for the trip to Galway. He is back in the starting line-up after suffered a concussion in the recent home win over Leinster in round 2.
Patchell is in the only change to the back-line from last week’s 38-29 bonus point victory over Benetton Rugby. Pivac has been forced to make one alteration to the pack with James Davies unavailable after sustaining a knee injury against the Italians.
Lewis Rawlins comes in at openside flanker alongside Ed Kennedy and Blade Thomson in the back row, while South African import Uzair Cassiem is set to make his competitive debut for the Scarlets off the bench. He has recovered from the calf injury he sustained in a pre-season match against Bath.
CONNACHT: Tiernan O’Halloran; Cian Kelleher, Tom Farrell, Bundee Aki, Matt Healy; Jack Carty, Kieran Marmion; Denis Buckley, Dave Heffernan, Finlay Bealham, Gavin Thornbury, Quinn Roux, Sean O’Brien, Jarrad Butler, Robin Copeland.
Replacements: Tom McCartney, Peter McCabe, Dominic Robertson-McCoy, Ultan Dillane, Colby Fainga’a, Caolin Blade, Craig Ronaldson, Niyi Adeolokun.
SCARLETS: Leigh Halfpenny; Tom Prydie, Kieron Fonotia, Hadleigh Parkes, Johnny McNicholl; Rhys Patchell, Gareth Davies; Phil Price, Ken Owens (capt), Samson Lee, Jake Ball, Steve Cummins, Ed Kennedy, Lewis Rawlins, Blade Thomson.
Replacements: Ryan Elias, Wyn Jones, Werner Kruger, David Bulbring, Uzair Cassiem, Sam Hidalgo-Clyne, Angus O’Brien, Paul Asquith
Referee: Marius Mitrea (Italy)
Assistant Referees: Gianluca Gnecchi (Italy), Kieran Barry (Ireland)
Television Match Official: Leo Colgan (Ireland)
Match Odds (Paddy Power): Connacht to win: 10/11; Draw: 14/1; Scarlets to win: 10/11
Pre-Match Quotes: Tiernan O’Halloran (Connacht) – “We didn’t aim for just a losing bonus point ahead of our clash with Edinburgh last weekend but considering we were 17-0 down, and the six-day turnaround, we will take that and move on.
“You can never dwell on things during the season proper and our big penalty count was disappointing but it’s something we looked at quickly, took the learnings, and then turned our attentions to the next game against the Scarlets.
“the Scarlets were brilliant last season and even though they didn’t retain the PRO14 title, they are still a class act. They are well capable of being there come the business end and we love testing ourselves against this calibre of opposition.
“It will be a tough couple of games at the Sportsground, with Leinster to come too, but we are determined to bounce back from defeat in Scotland and get back in contention in Conference A. If we win we can prepare for our first interprovincial derby of the season full of confidence. Lose and it will be a difficult week ahead.”
Wayne Pivac (Scarlets) – “We set a target, we wanted to be around the te-point mark in the first three games and we’ve picked up ten. It could have easily been thirteen. We’re reasonably comfortable. We’ve said from day one that we wouldn’t be hitting our straps early in the season because of the time we gave the boys off and staggered return.
“The fluency in our game hasn’t quite been there but it’s about winning points and gathering momentum. Winning builds momentum. We have a big game this weekend away from home. It would really set our season up if we could get a win away in Connacht, which isn’t an easy place to go.
“Last week was pleasing to get the five points but obviously (we’ve) a lot of work to do. We didn’t have the best of performances. It was disappointing from our point of view that we didn’t back up that Leinster performance the way we wanted to but we were still good enough to score 38 points.”
Top Scorers – 2018/19 GUINNESS PRO14: Connacht – Points: Jack Carty 28; Tries: Paul Boyle, Niyi Adeolokun 2 each; Scarlets – Points: Leigh Halfpenny 21; Tries: Gareth Davies 3
2018/19 TEAM FORM: Connacht – Played 3, Won 1, Lost 2, 7 Points; L 27-26 v Glasgow Warriors (home), W 32-13 v Zebre (home), L 17-10 v Edinburgh (away); Scarlets – Played 3, Won 2, Lost 1, 10 Points; L 15-13 v Ulster (away), W 23-21 v Leinster (home), W 38-29 v Benetton Rugby (home)
RECENT LEAGUE MEETINGS:
Sunday, February 15, 2015 – Scarlets 32 Connacht 14, Parc y Scarlets
Sunday, January 10, 2016 – Scarlets 21 Connacht 19, Parc y Scarlets
Saturday, January 30, 2016 – Connacht 30 Scarlets 17, the Sportsground
Saturday, September 24, 2016 – Scarlets 17 Connacht 8, Parc y Scarlets
Saturday, April 29, 2017 – Connacht 8 Scarlets 30, the Sportsground
Friday, September 29, 2017 – Scarlets 36 Connacht 27, Parc y Scarlets
MATCH FACTS:
– Connacht’s only victory in the first three rounds of the GUINNESS PRO14 was at home to Zebre on September 8
– Connacht have won just one of their last seven Championship fixtures against Welsh regions: 26-15 at home to the Ospreys in round 14 last year
– The Scarlets have won their last two PRO14 matches, both at home, to Leinster and Benetton Rugby, while their victory over Leinster ended a five-match winless run against Irish opponents in all tournaments
– Connacht’s only two victories in their last twelve clashes with the Scarlets were both in Galway, in 2014 and 2016
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