Connacht will be looking to keep their win streak going against the Lions tomorrow night, after winning their last 3 games in the BKT United Rugby Championship matches The Dexcom is becoming a bit of a fortress with only one loss in the last 10 games in galway, and Connacht have a 9 out of 9 record vs SA teams in the URC. With statistically the best defence in the league Connacht should have the tools to shut down what is the 4th best attack in the league.
Connacht Rugby Match 23
1. Denis Buckley (242) 2. Tadgh McElroy (11) 3. Jack Aungier (62)
4. Niall Murray (68) 5. Joe Joyce (12)
6. Cian Prendergast (61) 7. Conor Oliver (77) 8. Sean O’Brien (6)
9. Caolin Blade (184) ( c)10. JJ Hanrahan (14)
12. Cathal Forde (23) 13. David Hawkshaw (24)
11. Andrew Smith (9) 15. Tiernan O’Halloran (231) 14. Byron Ralston (27)
Replacements
16. Dave Heffernan (191) 17. Jordan Duggan (43) 18. Sam Illo (16)
19. Darragh Murray (19) 20. Shamus Hurley-Langton (32)
21. Colm Reilly (23) 22. Jack Carty (206) 23. Paul Boyle (87)
Its a strong team named with five changes in the pack from the team that faced Scarlets. The settled backline have the ability to really attack the Lions Forde and Hawkshaw are developing a great partnership between their hard carrying and distributing ability. The 6:2 split carries its dangers but its great to see Murray and Boyle on the bench after signing contracts this week.
Commenting ahead of the game, head coach Pete Wilkins says:
“Tomorrow marks the start of a huge block of games for us both in the URC and Challenge Cup. We navigated through the Six Nations period with the two wins we needed, so now we want to build on that for the remainder of the season.
The Lions are getting stronger with every year they’re in this competition, and they’re one of the strongest South African sides away from home. So we’re fully aware of the challenge ahead, and the need for us to be at the top of our game to get the win.”
The Emirates Lions have lost just two of their last six United Rugby Championship matches and both of those were to the Bulls. But their away outside SA form leaves a lot to be desired, with only one victory outside of South Africa in the URC that was when they faced Scarlets in November. Their attack is something to be wary of and the stats back justify how high they are on the attacking table. 2nd best for defenders beaten with 228, 3rd best for points scored with 308, 4th best for tries scored with 39.
Emirates Lions Match 23
1. JP Smith 2. PJ Botha 3. Asenathi Ntlabakanye
4. Etienne Oosthuizen 5. Reinhard Nothnagel
6. JC Pretorius 7. Emmanuel Tshituka 8. Francke Horn
9. Sanele Nohamba 10. Jordan Hendrikse
12. Marius Louw (c) 13. Erich Cronje
11. Edwill van der Merwe 15. Quan Horn 14. Richard Kriel
Replacements
16. Jaco Visagie 17. Morgan Naude 18. Conraad van Vuuren
19. Darrien Landsberg 20. Izan Esterhuizen
21. Hanru Sirgel 22. Morne van den Berg 23. Stean Pienaar
Julian Redelinghuys the Lions scrum coachwas talking about his team’s preparations since arriving in Galway this week and the challenge lying ahead against Connacht.
“We’ve had decent preparations this week in cold, wet weather which is great because we are expecting similar conditions come Saturday. It’s nothing new to us as we are familiar with the environment over here from previous visits.”
Describing the mood in the camp, the former Springbok prop says travelling has always been a good thing for his side as they tend to do it well.
“The vibe inside camp is great. We tend to travel well, and the guys enjoy one another’s company. It’s also a nice opportunity to bond as a squad. Coming off a win against the Sharks two weeks ago also bodes well for team spirit,” he explains.
Looking ahead to Saturday at the Dexcom Stadium in Galway, Redelinghuys expects a tough battle against the Connacht.
“They are a very tough side to play over here, he says. They are a dangerous team when given front foot momentum, coupled with their fast tempo at which they play the game.”
“We have an opportunity however to challenge their set piece which is going to require our forwards to roll up their sleeves in very tough, hostile conditions over here in Galway. Our guys are up for it though- we enjoy it when it’s tough because that’s when we as a group play for one another,” he concludes.
The set piece is going to be a real battle as the Lions have statistically the best scrum in the league, making sure to keep the penalty count down there will be important. But Connacht as always have their own set piece weapon with the most lineout steals in the league.
It’s the time of the season where you need to start creating space between yourself and the teams fighting to get into the playoffs. And with 5 points between 5th and 11th Connacht continuing their win rate vs the Lions will go a long way to keeping them in the playoff places for the rest of the season.
Padraig Kelly
The 2nd Row
THE 2ND ROW 