Buoyed by their derby success against Munster, Kieran Keane’s Connacht meet the Toyota Cheetahs for the first time, looking for a fourth straight win in all competitions. It is fourth plays third in Conference A of the GUINNESS PRO14.
GUINNESS PRO14: Saturday, November 4
CONNACHT (4th, Con A) v TOYOTA CHEETAHS (3rd, Con A), the Sportsground, 7.35pm (live TG4/SuperSport 1)
Team News: Winger Niyi Adeolokun will make his first start of the season for Connacht when they take on the Toyota Cheetahs in tonight’s GUINNESS PRO14 encounter at the Sportsground.
Adeolokun, who turned 27 yesterday, joins Tiernan O’Halloran and Darragh Leader in the back-three, both of whom started the interprovincial derby win over Munster last weekend.
With three players away on international duty, Caolin Blade starts at scrum half, Craig Ronaldson comes in at inside centre and Quinn Roux starts in the second row as Connacht look to make it four wins on the trot in all competitions.
Eoghan Masterson slots back in at blindside flanker, Eoin McKeon starts at openside and captain John Muldoon wears the number 8 jersey. Fijian flanker Naulia Dawai, also returning from injury, is back in the matchday 23 as he takes his place among the replacements.
Ronaldson forms a centre partnership with fellow former Lansdowne clubman Tom Farrell who scored the decisive try against Munster in round 7. Looking forward to lining out against the Cheetahs, Farrell spoke of the need to get a result against the South Africans before going into the two-week break for the November internationals.
“We have been steadily improving since the start of the season and we put together back-to-back wins in Europe and followed that up with a win against Munster last weekend. The atmosphere was fantastic in the Sportsground and the lift that the fans gave us made all the difference,” he said.
“But we will need to repeat that performance if we are to beat the Cheetahs on Saturday and go into the break with four wins in a row.”
Meanwhile, Toyota Cheetahs head coach Rory Duncan has made seven personnel changes, most of them enforced, to the team that edged out Zebre 24-23 in Parma last time out.
Fred Zeilinga, who came off the bench to land a dramatic late penalty against the Italians, will make his first PRO14 start at full-back and Luther Obi comes in on the right wing. They replace Sergeal Petersen and Raymond Rhule who both joined the Stormers this week in Cape Town.
PRO14 debutant Tertuis Kruger and Nico Lee get the nod as a new centre pairing, with Francois Venter called up to the South Africa squad and William Small-Smith nursing a shoulder injury.
In the pack, there is a straight swap between Johan Coetzee and Tom Botha at tighthead prop, Rynier Bernardo makes way for Carl Wegner in the second row, and with Oupa Mohoje named in the Springboks’ November squad, Junior Pokomela moves to number 8 and Jasper Wiese is promoted for his PRO14 debut at openside flanker.
Duncan has also freshened up the South Africans’ bench with new additions Joseph Dweba and Ali Mgijima, while Dennis Visser and Zee Mkhabela joined the squad this week in Ireland and will be making their PRO14 debuts if called upon.
CONNACHT: Tiernan O’Halloran, Darragh Leader, Tom Farrell, Craig Ronaldson, Niyi Adeolokun, Jack Carty, Caolin Blade; Denis Buckley, Tom McCartney, Finlay Bealham, Quinn Roux, James Cannon, Eoghan Masterson, Eoin McKeon, John Muldoon (capt).
Replacements: Dave Heffernan, Denis Coulson, Conor Carey, Gavin Thornbury, Naulia Dawai, Conor McKeon, Steve Crosbie, Matt Healy.
TOYOTA CHEETAHS: Fred Zeilinga; Luther Obi, Tertius Kruger, Nico Lee, Makazola Mapimpi; Ernst Stapelberg, Tian Meyer; Ox Nche, Torsten Van Jaarsveld (capt), Johan Coetzee, Carl Wegner, Reniel Hugo, Paul Schoeman, Jasper Wiese, Junior Pokomela.
Replacements: Joseph Dweba, Charles Marais, Tom Botha, Dennis Visser, Rynier Bernardo, Zee Mkhabela, Ali Mgijima, Shaun Venter.
Referee: Frank Murphy (Ireland)
Assistant Referees: John Lacey, Kieran Barry (both Ireland)
Television Match Official: Leo Colgan (Ireland)
Match Odds (Paddy Power): Connacht to win: 2/9; Draw: 25/1; Toyota Cheetahs to win: 16/5
Pre-Match Quotes: Tiernan O’Halloran (Connacht) – “Playing the full 80 minutes (against Munster) was a big thing for me last weekend because I’ve really been struggling with my hip since round 3. The injury has eaten into my training time and for a good few weeks I could only train once or twice a week and had to strap myself up to play.
“That kind of injury can take a while to fully clear up, so with a bit of a break it’s a chance for me get back 100%. Against Munster was the best it’s felt since it happened, so that’s a good sign.
“During our backs review, you can really see the incredible athletes they (the Cheetahs) have. Their back-three are lightning fast with great feet, their centres are big, strong runners and their pack are big lads too. They can move the ball round the park and it’s a really attractive brand of rugby with lots of tries.
“In recent weeks we’ve faced teams who have kicked a lot, but these guys will run a lot more. That will be a big test of our defence. The Cheetahs have taken some massive scalps at home, but they’re a danger on the road now too. We hosted the Kings at the start of the season, but the Cheetahs look to be a lot stronger so far.
“The game before a break is a tricky one, concentration is vital. We’re on the back of three wins in a row, but four would give us real confidence. The crowd certainly helped us against Munster and we’d love to see the same again.
“We face a side that’s third in the Conference A table and we’re playing catch-up with them. If we want to make the semi-finals of the PRO14, it’s vital that we pick up wins against our conference rivals and make it into that third position.”
Rory Duncan (Toyota Cheetahs) – “We anticipate a tough game, Connacht has proven to be a team that has the ability to hold on to the ball and go through multiple phases. We need to be patient on defence and ensure our execution on defence and attack is clinical.”
Top Scorers – 2017/18 GUINNESS PRO14: Connacht – Points: Jack Carty 50; Tries: Tiernan O’Halloran 3; Toyota Cheetahs – Points: Ernst Stapelberg 69; Tries: Makazole Mapimpi 7
2017/18 TEAM FORM: Connacht – Played 7, Won 2, Lost 5, 12 Points; L 18-12 v Glasgow Warriors (home), W 32-10 v Southern Kings (home), L 21-8 v Dragons (away), L 17-15 v Cardiff Blues (home), L 36-27 v Scarlets (away), L 16-8 v Ulster (away), W 20-16; Toyota Cheetahs – Played 7, Won 4, Lost 3, 20 Points; L 42-19 v Ulster (away), L 51-18 v Munster (away), W 54-39 v Zebre (home), W 38-19 v Leinster (home), W 44-25 v Ospreys (home), L 29-26 v Glasgow Warriors (home), W 24-23 v Zebre (away)
PREVIOUS MEETINGS:
N/A
MATCH FACTS:
– Connacht have won their last three matches in all competitions since their 16-8 loss at Ulster in round 6 of the GUINNESS PRO14
– Connacht’s only loss in their last four games at the Sportsground was 17-15 to Cardiff Blues in round 4
– The westerners have already beaten a South African side in Galway this season: 32-10 over the Southern Kings on September 9
– The Toyota Cheetahs have lost just one of their last five PRO14 matches: 29-26 at home to Glasgow on October 6
– The Cheetahs’ record against Irish provinces so far is won one at home and lost two away
– The two sides have never met before
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