Connacht make four changes

European round-up:  Connacht coach Michael Bradley has made four changes to his starting XV - from the team that lost in controversial fashion to the Ospreys at the weekend - for Saturday's European Challenge Cup pool match against Catania at the Sportsground (2.30).

Chris Keane comes in at scrumhalf for Conor O'Loughlin, who drops to the bench. Hooker John Fogarty is preferred to Joe Merrigan, and in the back row, Matt Lacey and Colm Rigney come in alongside Johnny Muldoon.

Merrigan is included in the replacements along with Brendan O'Connor. Dan McFarland and Adrian Clarke have been added to the match 22, a squad that has been amended to include three frontrow replacements.

John Hearty and Fogarty are required to pass late fitness tests. Former Blackrock College and Ireland under-21 international Hearty came off after 54 minutes of an impressive debut but is expected to recover from that knock.

Connacht manager Tim Allnutt is hoping the quality of the performance against the Ospreys is an indication of things to come, starting on Saturday.

"We didn't do ourselves justice in recent matches prior to the Ospreys game and that is something that we addressed," he says. "There was a commitment to improvement and that was evident in the Ospreys match.

"We didn't get the reward that we deserved but we have to take the positives and move on. The manner of the display was especially pleasing and it's important that we continue to produce and develop that in forthcoming games."

Bradley has guided Connacht to the threshold of European Challenge Cup glory and will hope to make it a couple of steps further this season. Another journey starts on Saturday, one the team and management hope the Connacht public will buy into by coming out and showing support in substantial numbers.

Meanwhile Munster have named a 28-man squad ahead of tomorrow night's opening European Cup match against Sale Sharks at Edgeley Park.

Ireland scrumhalf Peter Stringer has been included following his return to training this week. The initial prognosis on the knee damage sustained by Stringer was that it would keep him out for about four weeks but he has proved a quick healer.

There is no place for longer-term injury victim Paul O'Connell (thumb) but coach Declan Kidney has named an extended squad, as is the fashion these days.

Munster could hardly face tougher opening opponents than the in-form Manchester team, especially in the tight, old-fashioned ground Sale share with Stockport County.

A team may be forthcoming later today.

CONNACHT: M Mostyn; D Yapp, J Hearty, K Matthews, C McPhillips; P Warwick, C Keane; R Hogan, J Fogarty, S Knoop; C Short, A Farley (capt); J Muldoon, M Lacey, C Rigney. Replacements: J Merrigan, D McFarland, A Clarke, B O'Connor, C O'Loughlin, T Robinson, D Riordan.

MUNSTER SQUAD: F Roche, J Hayes, M Horan, F Pucciariello, F Sheahan, J Flannery, T Hogan, D O'Callaghan, M O'Driscoll, D Wallace, A Foley, D Leamy, A Quinlan, S Keogh, P Stringer, T O'Leary, R O'Gara, P Burke, J Manning, A Pitout, A Horgan, T Halstead, R Henderson, G Connolly, B Murphy, J Kelly, I Dowling, S Payne.