This upcoming Saturday at 5.15pm, the United Rugby Championship will spark up at Dexcom Stadium, featuring Connacht against Emirates Lions. You can catch the action live on RTÉ and Premier Sports. Pete Wilkins, head coach of Connacht, has switched up his team with five new members after their victory over the Scarlets. This change aims to secure their fourth consecutive win in the championship.
The backline stays intact while fresh faces emerge within the pack. The switch-ups comprise prop Denis Buckley, hooker Tadhg McElroy, second-row Joe Joyce, flanker Conor Oliver, and number eight Seán O’Brien, who now form the run-on team. New long-term contract signee, Darragh Murray, along with six forwards and two backs – Colm Reilly and Jack Carty – form part of the reserves.
The duo of Cathal Forde and David Hawkshaw at the centre broadens Connacht’s footballing competency with impressive tactical knowledge. This strength should help alleviate some burdens off fly-half JJ Hanrahan. Wings, Andrew Smith and Byron Ralston, with their splendid recent performance, bring a physical edge to the team.
To leverage these strengths, Connacht must combat the hefty Lions pack, known for their mastery in set pieces and competitiveness off home turf. The weather forecast of gusty winds and heavy rain could critically affect the match’s outcome, where local knowledge of the kicking game may be decisive.
In the tight United Rugby Championship standings, victories in these sort of matches are crucial. With a four-point lead over their guests and a single point behind fourth-place Edinburgh, Connacht will need to execute their planned strategy successfully to win confidently.
The Emirates Lions squad consists of Q Horn, R Kriel, E Cronje, M Louw who is the captain, E van der Merwe, J Hendrikse, S Nohamba, JP Smith, PJ Botha, and A Ntlabakanye. Others in the team include E Oosthuizen, R Nothnagel, JC Pretorius, E Tshituka, and F Horn. There are replacements available namely, J Visagie, M Naude, C van Vuuren, D Landsberg, I Esterhuizen, H Sirgel, M van den Berg, and S Pienaar. The game referee is C Evans, who hails from Wales.