Celtic League: Another Celtic League week and again Connacht coach Michael Bradley and assistant John McKee have radically freshened up their side to play Cardiff Blues at Dubarry Park on Saturday evening.
The line-up shows seven changes from that which defeated Edinburgh at Meadowbank last weekend. Even the impressive hooker Bernard Jackman is sitting out the start of this encounter.
Continuing the rotation policy that has served them well as they plot revenge on a Cardiff side that defeated them 33-17 earlier this season in the Arms Park, the management make five of the changes up front and two in the back line.
Marnus Uijs starts at hooker, while Peter Bracken makes a welcome first start of the season, having come off the bench in recent weeks after recovering from a cruciate knee-ligament injury.
There is also a new look to the back row, where Michael Swift, Matt Lacey and number eight Michael Carroll all return to the side. Captain Tim Allnutt returns in the centre, while Ted Robinson starts on the left wing.
Munster travel to face Llanelli Scarlets at Stradey Park with the same 22-man squad as last week but with two additional players, Martin Cahill and Martin McPhail. Because of the involvement of many of the Munster players with Eddie O'Sullivan's Irish squad session during the week, coach Alan Gaffney was unable to select a final starting line-up yesterday. Munster travel to Wales today.
CONNACHT (v Cardiff): M McHugh; M Mostyn, D Yapp, T Allnutt (capt), T Robinson; E Elwood, C O'Loughlin; D McFarland, M Uijs, P Bracken, D Browne, A Farley, M Swift, M Lacey, M Carroll. Replacements: A Clarke, B Jackman, M McCarthy, P Neville, C Keane, S Moore, W Munn.
:quality(70)/s3.amazonaws.com/arc-authors/irishtimes/f6af4aa9-3e11-4b2d-ad9f-be0f224302ab.png)
:quality(70)/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/YVIRIOZQ35EWRPZXR27KGMO6YU.png)