Connacht return to the Galway Sportsground this evening determined to make up for last weekend’s narrow loss to Edinburgh. Having played most of the rugby last weekend, Connacht know they let themselves down when failing to take advantage of their opportunities, and coach Eric Elwood says tomorrow discipline will be the key. “What killed us last weekend was our discipline, the penalty count at one stage was 10 to two. But the best thing about league rugby is you can put it right the following week with four points,” said Elwood. “I think the lads know they didn’t do themselves justice last week so we’re expecting a big performance this week from everybody. We can’t change results, but we can change how we play on Friday.”
However Connacht must do it without influential No 8 George Naoupu whose damaged medial ligament will see him sidelined for a minumum of four weeks, and possibly four months depending on scan results. Both Rodney Ah You and Ethienne Reynecke also suffered knee injuries, but are expected to be named in the squad. It is likely Ray Ofisa will take over at No 8, with Johnny O’Connor at openside.
"George is a big loss for us. His an important part of our team. Not only is he a leader, but he is one of our big ball carriers and a presence. He will be a huge loss, but we will have to readjust the squad accordingly." Connacht had hoped to have outhalf Miah Nikora back in contention, but having recovered from an ankle injury, the New Zealander has now suffered a stress fracture to his lower leg and is expected to be out for another month. Connacht’s proud home record will be tested by the visiting Dragons, but once again a big crowd is expected in support with season ticket sales having passed the 3,000 mark. Connacht with nine points from their opening three games, need to get back to winning ways quickly.
“We’re disappointed we lost our momentum,” says Elwood. “We thought Edinburgh was a winnable game for us, but we have to be able to bounce back. The fact that it’s a home game should make it extra special. We pride ourselves on making it difficult for teams that come here and this is a must-win game, we just have to get those four points on Friday. The starting 15 for the game has five changes from the side which lost last weekend with Ray Ofisa coming in at No 8, David Gannon comes into the second row and Brett Wilkinson also comes into the pack. There is a new half back pairing with Frank Murphy coming in to partner Niall O’Connor while Brian Tuohy will start on the wing.
Westport hit their stride as other Mayo sides falter
It was a case of one out of three for the Mayo sides in the Connacht Junior League last weekend, with both Castlebar and Ballina coming up short, while Westport picked up their first win of the season in division 1A. Ballina came up short against fellow title chasers OLBC in Galway on a score of 34-18 with OLBC outscoring the Heffernan Park side by three tries to two. Westport picked up their first win of the season with a comprehensive 33-3 win over Galwegians in Carrowholly with Kevin Corcoran crossing the line twice for Westport and Matthew Walsh touching down for their third try in the win. It was a case of three games and three losses for a luckless Castlebar side last weekend. Despite home advantage they went down 19-3 to Tuam, with Robbie Cusack getting the only points on the board for Castlebar from a penalty. There is no action in division 1A of the junior league this weekend. Castlebar are currently rooted to the bottom of the table without a single point, while Ballina sit in fourth place with nine points on the board, six points off the top, with Westport moving up the pack one place and one point behind them.
