Two teams with contrasting starts to the new season clash at Parc y Scarlets tonight as the Scarlets go up against Connacht in a meeting of the Championship’s last two title winners.
GUINNESS PRO14: Friday, September 29
SCARLETS (2nd, Con B) v CONNACHT (4th, Con A), Parc y Scarlets, 7.35pm (live BBC 2 Wales/Galway Bay FM)
Team News: Hooker Tom McCartney is set to captain Connacht as they travel to Llanelli to take on the defending champions, the Scarlets, in the GUINNESS PRO14 tonight.
McCartney takes his place in the front row alongside Denis Buckley and Conor Carey, while Jake Heenan and Eoin McKeon come into the back row for their second and first starts of the season respectively.
Connacht are also boosted by the return of Tiernan O’Halloran from injury and he takes his place on the right wing with Darragh Leader, one of the province’s try scorers against Cardiff Blues, retained at full-back.
After impressing off the bench against Cardiff last Saturday, Tom Farrell pairs up with Bundee Aki in midfield, and Caolin Blade gets his second start of the 2017/18 campaign alongside Jack Carty at half-back.
The westerners face a huge challenge against last season’s champions, a fact that their Kiwi head coach Kieran Keane was fully aware of when he spoke to journalists ahead of the game.
“The Scarlets are very expansive, very well skilled and a well drilled team. We are going over to beat them obviously. We have put in place a plan that we think could trouble them, but they are a quality side and you don’t become champions for nothing,” he said.
“Decision-making has really been a focal point for us. We have hard workers, we have good players, and we have structures they are coming to grips with that will create opportunities, which we haven’t been able to exploit yet. So, putting a little bit of polish on the rough diamond is what we are looking to achieve.”
Meanwhile, Scarlets boss Wayne Pivac has made five changes to the side that secured a 28-8 bonus point victory over Edinburgh last week. Three of them are enforced with Gareth Davies, Samson Lee and John Barclay all unavailable due as they follow the return-to-play protocols following head knocks.
Hadleigh Parkes passed his HIA but has been rested for tonight’s round 5 clash. Fellow centre Scott Williams returns to the starting line up with Aled Davies coming in at scrum half in two back-line alterations.
Tighthead prop Werner Kruger, who crossed the whitewash for his first Scarlets try last Saturday, replaces Lee in the front row. David Bulbring and Tadhg Beirne swap places with Bulbring starting in the second row and Kildare man Beirne on the bench, while Josh Macleod fills the number 8 berth in place of Barclay.
With the Scarlets coaches using a rotation policy with the big regional derby against the Ospreys and Champions Cup matches on the horizon, Australian Paul Asquith is the only player to retain his place on the bench.
SCARLETS: Leigh Halfpenny; Johnny McNicholl, Jonathan Davies, Scott Williams, Steff Evans; Rhys Patchell, Aled Davies; Rob Evans, Ken Owens (capt), Werner Kruger, Jake Ball, David Bulbring, Aaron Shingler, Will Boyde, Josh Macleod.
Replacements: Emyr Phillips, Dylan Evans, Simon Gardiner, Tadhg Beirne, Lewis Rawlins, Jonathan Evans, Paul Asquith, Tom Prydie.
CONNACHT: Darragh Leader, Tiernan O’Halloran, Bundee Aki, Tom Farrell, Cian Kelleher; Jack Carty, Caolin Blade; Denis Buckley, Tom McCartney (capt), Conor Carey, Ultan Dillane, Quinn Roux, Jake Heenan, Jarrad Butler, Eoin McKeon.
Replacements: Shane Delahunt, Denis Coulson, Finlay Bealham, Gavin Thornbury, Eoghan Masterson, Kieran Marmion, Steve Crosbie, Eoin Griffin.
Referee: Nigel Owens (Wales)
Assistant Referees: Ben Whitehouse, John Hardy (both Wales)
Television Match Official: Sean Brickell (Wales)
Match Odds (Paddy Power): Scarlets to win: 1/8; Draw: 25/1; Connacht to win: 5/1
Pre-Match Quotes: Eoghan Masterson (Connacht) – “I’m feeling fit and I’m feeling that match sharpness coming back now. It’s been a good start to the season in terms of minutes. Now we are looking to build on some fuller performances for 80 minutes, and some fuller results. Coming back off a long-term injury it is just important for me to stay healthy and fit out on the pitch.
“Get as many training sessions under my belt as I can and as much game-time. Dave Howarth, the new S&C coach at Connacht, has done a great job and come in and conditioned us in different ways, and challenged us in different ways.
“The Scarlets have always been a really good team. But the first season, when I made my debut against them (in November 2013), they reached the semi-finals as well. They’ve always had a lot of international and Lions players. But last season was the first time they really brought it all together. I remember them playing in semi-finals for a good while.
“They have always had a high calibre of player, sometimes they just didn’t break it together and gel. They did that last year so fair play to them, but they have always been a tough opposition for anyone.”
Wayne Pivac (Scarlets) – “It was important last week to get back to those winning ways (against Edinburgh) and to get a bonus point against a tricky opponent. It wasn’t the prettiest performance but the boys did well to get the bonus point.
“Connacht is our biggest focus. What we don’t want to do is take an eye off the ball and drop four or five points this week. First thing’s first is Connacht and making sure we get the performance right and that we improve in the areas that we need to from the Edinburgh experience.
“This group of players now, they want to win every week and so it’s a different mentality and focus. It’s come with time. When you have a season like we did last year, that’s what the players do the hard work for. To see the joy in the changing room each week it builds an atmosphere in the group and they understand that each game is very important.”
Top Scorers – 2017/18 GUINNESS PRO14: Scarlets – Points: Rhys Patchell 34; Tries: Johnny McNicholl 4; Connacht – Points: Jack Carty 27; Tries: Darragh Leader 2
2017/18 TEAM FORM: Scarlets – Played 4, Won 3, Lost 1, 16 Points; W 57-10 v Southern Kings (home), W 41-10 v Zebre (away), L 27-20 v Ulster (away), W 28-8 v Edinburgh (home); Connacht – Played 4, Won 1, Lost 3, 7 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)
RECENT LEAGUE MEETINGS:
Saturday, November 29, 2014 – Connacht 14 Scarlets 8, the Sportsground
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
MATCH FACTS:
– The Scarlets have lost only one GUINNESS PRO14 match since early March: 27-20 to Ulster in Belfast in round 3 this season
– The Scarlets have won their last twelve games at Parc y Scarlets in the Championship since Munster beat them there in the opening round last season
– Connacht have won just once in the last seven rounds of the PRO14: 32-10 at home to the Southern Kings on September 9
– That was their only victory at the Sportsground since they beat Zebre there 33-3 on March 3
– The Scarlets have lost only two of their last eleven meetings with Connacht, both in Galway, in November 2014 and January 2016, while Connacht’s most recent triumph on Scarlets soil came at the old Stradey Park in October 2004
This website uses cookies.
Read More