Muldoon ready to lead from the front

CONNACHT v OSPREYS:JOHN MULDOON'S decision to accept the captaincy this season has provided an added resonance to tonight's opening Magners League fixture when the 25-year- old flanker will make his 100th appearance - Brett Wilkinson wins his 50th cap - in a Connacht jersey.

The Portumna native was previously approached to lead the province but felt the time wasn't right and instead concentrated on improving his own game. His team-mates agitated again during the summer and when coach Michael Bradley invited him to accept the captaincy, Muldoon agreed.

"It's a massive honour and to be honest not that much of a hindrance or distraction. I would always have had an input in the past, wouldn't have been afraid to voice my thoughts. There are other leaders within the team so it's not as if everything rests on my shoulders."

He paid tribute to former captain Andrew Farley before insisting the captaincy won't change him. "I won't be getting too bogged down by the responsibility. As a Connacht man born and bred it is a great honour for me and my family."

Muldoon leads by deed as much as word. He boasts a voracious work ethic and is an aggressive defender.

Representing Ireland at Youths, Under 19, Under 21 and A levels illustrates his ability but to take the next step on the representative ladder Muldoon knows he must fine-tune certain aspects of his game.

"I have been working hard - along with the rest of the backrow - on little skills involved with ball carrying and offloading.

"The new ELVs means the game is now faster and more open and players have to adapt. I've been working hard but the only proving ground that matters is in the matches. From a team perspective we want to qualify for the Heineken Cup; that's our goal. The squad has been strengthened by the arrival of young players like Fionn Carr, Ian Keatley and Sean Cronin as well as other signings.

"Anyone who saw the three cracking tries we scored outside against Queensland will appreciate that our patterns have moved on from last season. An accusation in the past was that we were a little one-dimensional but we're keen to prove that's no longer the case.

"That starts tonight against the Ospreys. We've a pretty good record against their first team and if anything we haven't performed when faced by their so-called second string."

Connacht have won all their opening day matches since the tournament began. An Ospreys side that includes Irish international Tommy Bowe will make it very difficult to continue that sequence. Central to the outcome will be how Connacht's young backline use the possession that their pack traditionally wins. Muldoon desperately wants to reward the province's faithful supporters. "The numbers have improved dramatically since the days of one man and his dog.

"The atmosphere in recent seasons has been getting better and better but we have to give them something to cheer about. Supporters want to see their team winning and if we can do that then we can build on that base. The current squad is the strongest since I started in terms of competition and that bodes well."

CONNACHT:F Carr; L Bibo, G Duffy, K Matthews, J Hearty; I Keatley, F Murphy; B Wilkinson, S Cronin, R Morris; M McCarthy, A Farley; J Muldoon (capt), R Ofisa, C Rigney. Replacements: A Flavin, R Loughney, A Browne, M Swift, K Campbell, T Nathan, A Wynne.

OSPREYS:L Byrne; N Walker, S Parker, A Bishop, T Bowe; J Hook, R Webb; P James, H Bennett, C Griffiths, I Gough, I Evans; A Lloyd, M Holah, R Jones (capt). Replacements: E Shervington, D Jones, A-Wyn Jones, F Tiatia, R Wells, G Owen, S Williams.

Referee:N Paterson (Scotland).