| London Irish make one change for Connacht | |||||
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  Samoan International Sailosi Tagicakibau will start for the Exiles against Connacht on the left wing on Friday night. Photo: ©INPHO/Billy Stickland London Irish have made one change to their side from their last match against Rovigo when they take on Connacht at the Sportsground on Friday night (kick off: 7pm). The Exiles, who began their Challenge Cup Pool One campaign with an emphatic bonus point win over Rugby Rovigo last Saturday, make one change to the starting line-up of the team that played at Madejski Stadium. James Buckland starts in place of Danie Coetzee at hooker with David Paice taking the reserve hooker's position among the replacements. South Africa international, Faan Rautenbach returns to join All Black Clarke Dermody in providing front row cover on the bench. Bob Casey captains the team. "Last Saturday we showed how serious we are about the Challenge Cup and how we want to compete in it," said Toby Booth, London Irish Head Coach. "The players finished strong and clinically in the match with Rovigo and that shows how determined they are to do well in the tournament. It's a case of taking one step at a time and if we're good enough, we'll put ourselves in a position to realise our objective for this competition come the final stage of the season. "Connacht also had the perfect start in the tournament last weekend - we know how difficult it is to win away in France. Any team coached by Michael Bradley will provide a tough challenge, especially at home. We had great contests during our pre-season visits to the Sportsground a few years ago so we anticipate another testing match tomorrow," said Booth. Team: 15. Delon Armitage; 14. Topsy Ojo*; 13. Elvis Seveali'i*; 12. Seilala Mapusua*; 11. Sailosi Tagicakibau*; 10. Peter Hewat; 9. Paul Hodgson*; 1. Alex Corbisiero; 2. James Buckland, 3. Tonga Lea'aetoa* 4. Nick Kennedy; 5. Bob Casey* (captain); 6. Richard Thorpe; 7. Steffon Armitage; 8. Chris Hala'Ufia*. Replacements: 16. Clarke Dermody*; 17. David Paice*; 18. Faan Rautenbach*; 19. Gary Johnson; 20. Declan Danaher; 21. Peter Richards* or Tom Parker; 22. Shane Geraghty*. A decision on whether Peter Richards or Tom Parker is named among the replacements depends on the outcome of a fitness test on Richards on Friday morning. * Denotes international Head Coach: Toby Booth; Attack Coach: Mike Catt. |
