For their upcoming URC fixture this Saturday, Connacht Rugby team will be travelling to Wales to face-off with the Dragons at the Rodney Parade. Given their aspirations to reach the quarter-finals, maintaining their winning streak is of utmost importance in this fixture. Pete Wilkins’ Connacht team go into the match as predicted winners facing a Dragons team nestled towards the bottom of the table having only clinched three victories to date. However, the Welsh side’s recent winning form at Rodney Parade, where they’ve succeeded in five of their last seven games across all tournaments, emphasises that they are not to be underestimated.
In light of this, Wilkins has selected a formidable team, including Bundee Aki and Finlay Bealham. Shane Jennings is set to return to the backline, relieving any fears due to his absence in last week’s triumph over Zebre, with JJ Hanrahan, recovered from a hamstring tweak, taking up at outhalf. Scrumhalf position remains with last week’s standout, Matthew Devine.
In terms of forward pack changes, lock Gavin Thornbury is back for his first start of the season, complemented by Denis Buckley and Cian Prendergast in the front and back rows. Leadership falls to Dave Heffernan as the team captain.
Wilkins emphasises the important role of Buckley, Thornbury, Prendergast and O’Halloran in providing necessary experience and leadership in matches of this nature. Confidence is held in the chosen formation, with Wilkins expressing faith in returning victorious from this contest.
Despite a significant disparity in URC points between Connacht with 39 and the Dragons with 15, complacency is not an option. A robust maul defence implies the Dragons won’t easily relinquish their home turf, particularly in forward pack exchanges. Dragons’ head coach, Dai Flanagan, anticipates that Connacht will be gunning for all five points and encourages his players to defy expectations and deliver a solid performance.
The first game of this crucial four-match string means a great deal to us. We’ve nearly reached the height of excitement since I started with the club, since we’re amidst such a vital sequence of matches. We need to seize these opportunities to the fullest. Connacht experts usually have their sights focused on specific games and ours is likely to be one where they’ll aim for a quintuple. On the horizon, matches against Munster, Stormers, and Leinster are set which Connacht has to win, else risk defeat. According to the stats, the chances of an away-team victory are high, and the play-off fate of Connacht could be contingent upon this.
The team of Dragons RFC is comprised of J Williams, R Dyer, S Hughes (capt), A Owen, E Rosser, C Evans, R Williams, R Jones, E Dee, C Coleman, B Carter, M Screech, H Keddie, T Basham and A Wainwright. The replacements include J Benjamin, R Martinez, L Yendle, G Nott, S Lonsdale, C Hope, W Reed and J Westwood.
As for Connacht, the team includes T O’Halloran, S Jennings, T Farrell, B Aki, J Porch, JJ Hanrahan, M Devine, D Buckley, D Heffernan (capt), F Bealham, J Joyce, G Thornbury, S Hurley-Langton, C Oliver and C Prendergast. Substitutes are D Tierney-Martin, P Dooley, S Illo, O Dowling, J Butler, C Blade, C Forde and P Boyle. The match referee will be Federico Vedovelli (FIR).