With the Ospreys losing at home last night, Connacht and Toyota Cheetahs both have an opportunity to climb into third place when they meet in an eagerly-awaited GUINNESS PRO14 Conference A derby in Galway.
GUINNESS PRO14: Saturday, February 16
CONNACHT (4th, Con A) v TOYOTA CHEETAHS (6th, Con A), the Sportsground, 5.30pm (live TG4/Premier Sports 2/SuperSport 1/Galway Bay FM/deferred eir Sport 1)
Team News: Ultan Dillane, Caolin Blade, Jack Carty and Tom Farrell have all been named in the Connacht team for this evenin’s vital GUINNESS PRO14 match against the Toyota Cheetahs at the Sportsground. Kieran Marmion also returns from an ankle injury to feature on the bench.
Captain Jarrad Butler leads the province from number 8 again, supported by flankers Eoin McKeon and Colby Fainga’a in the back row. Dillane, who impressed as a replacement in the closing stages against Scotland last Saturday, combines with James Cannon in the engine room, while front rowers Denis Buckley, Tom McCartney and Finlay Bealham complete the pack.
Behind the scrum, Carty and Blade renew their half-back partnership with Farrell, who was also part of Ireland’s squad for the first two rounds of the Guinness Six Nations, lines out with Tom Daly in midfield. There is a first start for loan signing Stephen Fitzgerald on the left wing, with Cian Kelleher on the right and Darragh Leader stationed at full-back.
Having beaten the Cheetahs 21-17 in Bloemfontein before Christmas, Connacht head coach Andy Friend is under no illusions as to the challenge his side face to complete a season’s double over their Conference A rivals. The westerners are currently fourth in the table, level on 38 points with the Ospreys and two points above the sixth-placed Cheetahs.
Meanwhile, Louis Fouche and Dries Swanepoel come in for the injured Malcolm Jaer and Benhard Janse van Rensburg at full-back and outside centre respectively as Toyota Cheetahs head coach Franco Smith makes five personnel changes to the side that hammered the Isuzu Southern Kings 61-28 last time out.
Jasper Wiese (23) and JP du Preez (24) pair up as a youthful lock combination, while young hooker Marnus van der Merwe, who turns 22 tomorrow, steps up for his first PRO14 start. Former South Africa Under-20 captain Junior Pokomela remains the Championship’s top lineout stealer so far this season with seven steals.
The 23-year-old Ox Nche has recovered from injury to provide front row back-up on the bench and Henco Venter, who last lined out for the Cheetahs in last season’s quarter-final against the Scarlets, is back in the matchday 23 after a stint playing with the Toshiba Brave Lupus in Japan.
CONNACHT: Darragh Leader; Cian Kelleher, Tom Farrell, Tom Daly, Stephen Fitzgerald; Jack Carty, Caolin Blade; Denis Buckley, Tom McCartney, Finlay Bealham, Ultan Dillane, James Cannon, Eoin McKeon, Colby Fainga’a, Jarrad Butler (capt).
Replacements: Dave Heffernan, Peter McCabe, Dominic Robertson-McCoy, Cillian Gallagher, Paul Boyle, Kieran Marmion, Conor Fitzgerald, Kyle Godwin.
TOYOTA CHEETAHS: Louis Fouche; William Small-Smith, Dries Swanepoel, Nico Lee, Sibahle Maxwane; Tian Schoeman, Shaun Venter (capt); Charles Marais, Marnus van der Merwe, Aranos Coetzee, Jasper Wiese, JP du Preez, Abongile Nonkontwana, Junior Pokomela, Gerhard Olivier.
Replacements: Reinach Venter, Ox Nche, Luan de Bruin, Sintu Manjezi, Walt Steenkamp, Henco Venter, Tian Meyer, Rudy Paige.
Referee: Nigel Owens (Wales)
Assistant Referees: John Lacey (Ireland), Mike English (Wales)
Television Match Official: Brian MacNeice (Ireland)
Match Odds (Paddy Power): Connacht to win: 1/7; Draw: 25/1; Toyota Cheetahs to win: 4/1
Pre-Match Quotes: Andy Friend (Connacht) –
Since we played the Cheetahs earlier in the season they have been improving steadily and have the results to show for it. They are real contenders in the conference now, so we know the importance of this game in the context of the overall season.
“They are a really hard team to play against and even trying to review them can be difficult. They seem to play so off the cuff that it can be difficult to predict what they are going to do next. We know the threat they pose in attack so we will face a huge challenge this weekend.”
Franco Smith (Toyota Cheetahs) –
There are a couple of new players on tour, like Henco Venter, Jacques du Toit and Marnus van der Merwe and others who will bring new energy and new creativity to the team. We need to learn how to be more focused, specially thinking of the last three tries we stood off against the Southern Kings.
“We would like to come back from tour with a more experience and apply what we’ve learned so far. We have a good team. Players in the team work hard, especially with the new players in the squad. After the last four matches, the hunger is back, the urgency to be the best in their positions – the competitiveness is back and intensity at training is very high.”
Top Scorers – 2018/19 GUINNESS PRO14: Connacht – Points: Jack Carty 109; Tries: Cian Kelleher 5; Toyota Cheetahs – Points: Tian Schoeman 84; Tries: Sibahle Maxwane 10
2018/19 TEAM FORM: Connacht – Played 14, Won 7, Lost 7, 38 Points; L 27-26 v Glasgow Warriors (home), W 32-13 v Zebre (home), L 17-10 v Edinburgh (away), W 33-20 v Scarlets (home), L 20-3 v Leinster (home), W 22-15 v Ulster (away), L 22-17 v Ospreys (away), W 33-12 v Dragons (home), W 31-14 v Isuzu Southern Kings (away), W 21-17 v Toyota Cheetahs (away), L 33-29 v Leinster (away), W 21-12 v Ulster (home), L 31-24 v Munster (home), L 8-7 v Cardiff Blues (away); Toyota Cheetahs – Played 14, Won 6, Drawn 1, Lost 7, 36 Points; L 38-0 v Munster (away), L 46-14 v Ospreys (away), L 52-24 v Glasgow Warriors (home), D 39-39 v Ulster (home), L 24-21 v Cardiff Blues (away), L 37-21 v Edinburgh (away), W 21-10 v Cardiff Blues (home), L 30-26 v Munster (home), W 31-25 v Benetton Rugby (home), L 21-17 v Connacht (home), W 27-12 v Zebre (away), W 24-17 v Isuzu Southern Kings (away), W 61-28 v Zebre (home), W 40-36 v Isuzu Southern Kings (home)
RECENT LEAGUE MEETINGS:
Saturday, November 4, 2017 – Connacht 23 Toyota Cheetahs 15, the Sportsground
Saturday, March 3, 2018 – Toyota Cheetahs 26 Connacht 25, Toyota Stadium
Saturday, December 1, 2018 – Toyota Cheetahs 17 Connacht 21, Toyota Stadium
MATCH FACTS:
– Connacht’s only win in the last four rounds of the GUINNESS PRO14 was 21-12 at home to Ulster on December 28
– Connacht have lost just once at the Sportsground in any competition since September: 31-24 to Munster in round 13 of the PRO14
– The Toyota Cheetahs have won their last two away games, at Zebre and at the Isuzu Southern Kings, but have not won three in succession on their travels since March 2013 when they were playing in Super Rugby
– The Cheetahs are without a win in their last five matches against Irish provinces, since beating Connacht in Bloemfontein in March 2018. The South Africans’ record on visits to Ireland in the PRO14 is played four and lost four