The Connacht team remains largely unchanged from the side that beat Bayonne last weekend for Saturday’s Amlin Challenge Cup match against I Cavalieri Prato.
Bernie Upton makes way for Michael Swift in the second row and Johnny O’Connor is replaced by Shane Conneely, who makes his first competitive start for the province.
20-year-old flanker from Galway Conneely, who is in the second year of the Connacht Academy, came on for O’Connor last weekend and made an immediate impact in the 35-21 victory over Bayonne in France.
Gavin Duffy has recovered from the knee injury that has ruled him out for the last month allowing Fionn Carr to return to the wing. Keith Matthews returns to captain the side from inside centre and Eoin Griffin has been rested, making way for Niva Ta’auso at outside centre.
Ray Ofisa will mark his return from injury with a spot on the bench. The hard-hitting Samoan flanker was injured during Connacht’s narrow defeat to Bennetton Treviso back in October and Ofisa, who has 80 Connacht caps to his name, will be looking to return to the starting line-up without delay.
Brett Wilkinson, Sean Cronin and Jamie Hagan make up the front row. Wilkinson and Hagan will join Keith Matthews with the Irish Wolfhounds while Sean Cronin joins Gavin Duffy and Mike McCarthy in the Ireland squad.
McCarthy’s inclusion comes off the back of an impressive season for Connacht. The 29-year-old, 6’5 lineout specialist can play in the back row and the second row and it is this versatility, along with his excellent ball-carrying abilities, that have made him a regular in the Connacht squad, earning his 100th cap for the province last weekend.
Connacht starting XV to face I Cavalieri Prato in the Amlin Challenge Cup at the Sportsground, Saturday, 6pm:
1 Brett Wilkinson, 2 Sean Cronin, 3 Jamie Hagan, 4 Mike McCarthy, 5 Michael Swift, 6 Andrew Browne, 7 Shane Conneely, 8 Mike McComish, 9 Frank Murphy, 10 Ian Keatley, 11 Brian Tuohy, 12 Keith Matthews (c), 13 Niva Ta’auso, 14 Fionn Carr, 15 Gavin Duffy,
Replacements: 16 Adrian Flavin, 17 Ronan Loughney, 18 Rodney Ah You, 19 Bernie Upton, 20 Ray Ofisa, 21Cillian Willis, 22 Miah Nikora, 23 Shane Monahan.
