Five changes have been made to the Connacht side that will meet Leinster in the Guinness PRO14 Rainbow Cup this evening.
Leinster are coming west to face Connacht at the Sportsground this evening, with kick-off at 7:45pm.
Jarrad Butler is stepping back into the captain’s mantle as he makes his first appearance in almost two months after a suspension and injury took him out of play.
Also stepping in this evening are Denis Buckley in the front row, Niall Murray in the second, Conor Fitzgerald at no. 10, and Peter Sullivan on the wing.
There’s also a welcome return among the replacements for Sammy Arnold, who hasn’t featured for four months since undergoing chest surgery.
Commenting on the team selection, Head Coach Andy Friend said “We had a great win last time out in Belfast, but as always this year it’s now about backing that up and getting some consistency going.”
“Leinster will travel to The Sportsground wanting to avoid three defeats so that’s a challenge in itself, but we’re also confident we can put in a performance capable of getting a win.”
“We’ve got a few players returning from injury which is always good, and Matt Healy hits a significant milestone as well so we’re very pleased with the team we’re able to select.”
The full Connacht team for Saturday’s game is:
Name/Number/Caps
15. John Porch (37)
14. Peter Sullivan (13)
13. Sean O’Brien (Acad) (8)
12. Tom Daly (45)
11. Matt Healy (149)
10. Conor Fitzgerald (33)
9. Caolin Blade (128)
1. Denis Buckley (197)
2. Dave Heffernan (141)
3. Finlay Bealham (156)
4. Niall Murray (14)
5. Gavin Thornbury (57)
6. Eoghan Masterson (108)
7. Conor Oliver (18)
8. Jarrad Butler (70) (C)
Replacements
16. Jonny Murphy (14)
17. Matthew Burke (21)
18. Dominic Robertson-McCoy (64)
19. Cian Prendergast (6)
20. Abraham Papali’I (11)
21. Kieran Marmion (183)
22. Sammy Arnold (12)
23. Oran McNulty (1)
