Mayo man to start for Connacht against Scarlets
Connacht Rugby head coach Stuart Lancaster has named his matchday squad for the BKT United Rugby Championship game against Scarlets Rugby at Dexcom Stadium this weekend.
Mayo native Dave Heffernan is back in the starting XV for the game, which is scheduled to kick off at 1.45 p.m. tomorrow (Saturday).
Another Mayo man, Fiachna Barrett, who made his URC debut off the bench against Benetton last weekend, is not included in the squad for this weekend's game.
Hooker Heffernan is joined in the front row by Denis Buckley and Jack Aungier, while Darragh Murray and Joe Joyce make up the second row partnership.
Cian Prendergast captains the side from blindside flanker in his 88th appearance for the province, featuring in a back row that includes Paul Boyle at openside and Sean Jansen at number eight.
In the backs, the back three remain the same, with Sean Naughton at full-back and Chay Mullins and Irish international Shayne Bolton on the wings. Cathal Forde is joined by David Hawkshaw in the centre. Completing the side are scrum-half Ben Murphy and out-half Jack Carty.
Looking forward to the clash, Lancaster said: “I was really pleased with the result last weekend against a really strong Benetton side. There was a lot of positives to take from it, but still plenty to improve on.
“The energy from the fans was brilliant and we’ll need that same energy on Saturday this time with the earlier start.
“I know the Scarlets coaching team well and I have a lot of respect for them. Dwayne will have them really well organised and up for the fight, and Jarrod is a great defence coach. They more than deserved their playoff chance last season.
“We’ve made a few changes for the game, with the new faces coming in. It's exciting to see how they'll go.”
The Connacht starting XV in full is as follows: Sean Naughton, Chay Mullins, David Hawkshaw, Cathal Forde, Shayne Bolton, Jack Carty, Ben Murphy; Denis Buckley, Dave Heffernan, Jack Aungier, Darragh Murray, Joe Joyce, Cian Prendergast, Paul Boyle, Sean Jansen.
The replacements are: Eoin de Buitléar, Jordan Duggan, Sam Illo, David O’Connor, Sean O'Brien, Matthew Devine, Hugh Gavin, Finn Treacy.