Connacht have chosen a new strategy in a bid to qualify for this year’s European Challenge Cup quarter-finals by resting their front-line players for Saturday’s fixture against London Irish.
In a tactic, not unlike many French visiting teams, Connacht head to the Madejski Stadium keeping their first-choice players in reserve for the following week’s home fixture against Dax. London Irish, leaders of the English premiership, are not beatable on home soil; French visitors Dax, with no points from their four European outings, are.
With London Irish leading the Challenge Cup charge on full points - only themselves and Northampton in pool 2 have 20 points - it is safe to assume Irish will qualify as the pool one winner with only Rovigo to play. As a result Connacht need four or five points to qualify as one of three best runners-up, and the Connacht management has made the decision to target next week’s home match against the French outfit.
Coach Michael Bradley hinted at this decision after Friday night’s game against the Scarlets when he said Connacht would approach the two European games as a pair.
Importantly, it gives Connacht’s front line players an opportunity to rest, with Saturday’s fixture coming hard on the heels of a tough three-game sequence that included Munster, Leinster, and the Scarlets. Captain John Muldoon, Mike McCarthy, Robbie Morris, and Brett Wilkinson, are key players in Connacht’s season, and with Johnny O’Connor still out injured, and Ray Ofisa having taken a few knocks, Connacht’s backrow options are also becoming stretched.
The result therefore sees Connacht’s bench players getting a chance alongside second row Andrew Farley, No 8 Colm Rigney, and former London Irish hooker Adrian Flavin who will add the necessary experience. However Bradley has been forced into naming an experimental backrow without a specialist openside, which is risky. The athletic David Gannon takes over that position, alongside Andrew Browne, normally in the second row, on the blindside. In the front row prop John Lyne gets an opportunity to put the record straight after some decisions went against him against Leinster, joining Ronan Loughney and Flavin, who leads the side.
In the backs Fionn Carr is the only player who remains from last week with every bench player included. Danny Riordan starts at fullback, John Hearty, who lined out for Galwegians last weekend on the left wing, joins Mel Deane in the centre, with Troy Nathan on the left wing. Outhalf Andy Dunne gets only his second competitive start of the season, joining forces with scrumhalf Kieran Campbell. Mike Roberts, who has seen little action due to injury, is named on the bench and is likely to see action.
It appears a daunting task for this Connacht side - some of whom have not played at this level all season and now find themselves taking on the best team in the English premiership. However London Irish have yet to select their starting XV, and it will be interesting to see if they follow suit.
With more important games ahead, the Connacht management obviously views this as an ideal time to rest players and put their bench on the park. As a result it will be interesting to see how this side reacts, and how individual players perform now they have been given a chance to prove themselves. There is no expectation bar their need to be competitive as a unit and organised in defence to prevent a runaway London Irish victory.
Few will complain come Friday week after playing their final pool match against Dax if the end has justified the means.
Connacht: D Riordan; F Carr, J Hearty, M Deane, T Nathan; A Dunne, K Campbell; J Lyne, A Flavin (C ), R Loughney; M Swift, A Farley; A Browne, D Gannon, C Rigney. Replacements: J Merrigan, B McGovern, M McCarthy, J Muldoon, C O’Loughlin, I Keatley, M Roberts.
