Connacht team named for Dragons clash
Finlay Bealham and Jack Carty will both line out for Connacht for the 150th time in tomorrow evening’s Guinness PRO14 fixture away to Dragons (kick-off 7.35 p.m.).
Both Irish internationals are products of the Connacht Academy, with Carty making his pro debut in September 2012 and Bealham in February 2014. Between them they have won 24 Ireland caps.
Bealham lines out in a front row alongside Denis Buckley and Shane Delahunt, while Niall Murray and Gavin Thornbury form a new-look second row partnership. Paul Boyle captains the side from blindside flanker, with Conor Oliver on the opposite flank and Abraham Papali’i at number 8. Thornbury and Boyle will also hit the milestone of 50 caps for Connacht.
Carty will be joined by Caolin Blade in the half-back slots, while the centre partnership is unchanged with Peter Robb alongside Tom Daly. The back three consists of Matt Healy, Peter Sullivan and John Porch.
Among the replacements is Oisin Dowling, who is in line to make his Connacht debut after recovering from a long-term back injury.
Connacht Rugby head coach Andy Friend described tomorrow's clash as a must-win game given the results of the past few week.
He elaborated: “While our home form has been disappointing, we’ve had honest reviews of what’s gone wrong and the reaction in training has been good. Our away form has been a positive for us this season, so we’ll look to keep that going tomorrow – albeit against tough opposition and a tough place to go in Rodney Parade.”
Regarding the team selection, Friend added: “We’ve a number of players earning significant caps tomorrow so I’d like to congratulate Finlay, Jack, Gavin and Paul on the milestones. We’ve also got Oisin Dowling in line for his first appearance, which has been long overdue after his back injury, and that’s a testament to him and the medical department. Overall we’ve a pretty healthy squad, which is a boost heading into a key part of the season.”
The match will be shown live on TG4, with coverage starting from 7.30 p.m.