Connacht have today announced their team to face Aironi in the Sportsground this Friday, 11^th of March, 7.35pm.

This re-scheduled fixture is the first meeting of any sort between the teams and the only Magners League Fixture this weekend. Connacht are on a good run of late winning five out of their last six games in all competitions with the only loss coming at the hands of last season's Magners League champions the Ospreys. Aironi on the other hand are still at the foot of the table but have put in some very impressive performances of late ,including last week in Ravenhill where they put in a spirited performance against Ulster

Connacht’s team shows one change from the XV that beat Treviso last Friday. Hooker Sean Cronin has been selected in the Ireland squad to face Wales in the 6 Nations, so Adrian Flavin returns to the front row with Dermot Murphy coming in to the bench.

The other change on the bench is the return of club captain John Muldoon after a three month lay-off with a broken arm. Muldoon suffered the injury in December’s Amlin Challenge Cup tie with Harlequins, and his return is a welcome boost to a Connacht back-row that has been outstanding of late. With Muldoon on the bench, the team will again be captained by Galwayman Johnny O’Connor.  The centurion has been leading by example on the pitch since he stepped in to the breach, showing his tenacity at the breakdown and  winning two man-of-the-match awards.

Connacht would also like to re-assure fans that all tickets bought for the original fixture in December are valid for tomorrow’s encounter. There will be a family atmosphere in the Sportsground with face painting and some goodies for kids. Tickets are on sale now.

Connacht Team to face Aironi (The Sportsground, Friday 11/03/11, 7.35pm)

15 Duffy, Gavin

14 Tuohy, Brian

13Ta’auso, Niva

12 Nathan, Troy

11 Carr, Fionn

10 Keatley, Ian

09 Murphy, Frank

01 Wilkinson, Brett

02 Flavin, Adrian

03 Hagan, Jamie

04 Swift, Michael

05 McCarthy, Michael

06 Browne, Andrew

07 OConnor, Johnny (C)

08 Ofisa, Ray

16 Murphy, Dermot

17 Loughney, Ronan

18 Ah You, Rodney

19 Bernie, Upton

20 Muldoon, John

21 Willis, Cillian

22 Nikora, Miah

Connacht were training yesterday and Nemeton TV’s Aonghus Ó’hEochaidh and Deaglán de Paor spent the day at The Sportsground filming and interviewing players ahead of this weekend’s clash with Aironi.
The match kicks-off at 7.35pm and for those who can’t make it down to the Sportsground, TG4’s coverage starts from 7.20pm with interviews and analysis from Máire Treasa Ní Dhubhghaill and Eamonn Molloy.
This is the first visit of Italian side Aironi to The Sportsground. The club was formed last year by the amalgamation of Italian Top 10 teams Viadana, Rugby Parma, Gran Parma, Mantova, Colorno, Modena and Reggio. Aironi are a side brimming with talent with Kiwi number 8 Nick Williams, who played for Munster for 2 seasons, 76 times capped Italian captain Marco Bortolami and South African 7’s sensation Danwel Demas included in the squad.
Connacht have won 5 out of their last 6 games and haven’t been beaten at home since December and will look to close the gap on the Dragons, who lie just 3 points ahead in 7th position in the Magners League.
As this is a re-fixed match it is the only Magners League game this weekend and it is a fabulous opportunity for supporters to see Connacht in action against Aironi for the first time.
Tickets for the match are still available from the Connacht Branch Offices on College Road or through www.TicketMaster.ie

Connacht v Aironi – ko 7.35  Friday 11th March, The Sportsground, Galway – live on TG4

Wilkinson and Anderson sign for Connacht.

One of Connacht’s most senior players, Brett Wilkinson, has signed a contract extension that will see the loose-head prop stay at The Sportsground until the end of the 2013 season and the Province have also been boosted by the signing of talented back-row TJ Anderson from Ulster.
Wilkinson joined Connacht in 2006 and quickly earned his place in the team with his powerful scrummaging and excellent ball-carrying skills. Originally from Grahamstown, South Africa, the 6’0” 119kg, 27 year prop qualifies to play for Ireland through residency and in 2009 was called into the Ireland Wolfhounds side to face Tonga. He marked that occasion with a 3rd minute try and went on to earn a further cap that year against Argentina Jaguares along with caps against the Saxons and Scotland A in 2010. In October 2010 Brett “Wilko” earned his 100th cap for Connacht and in doing so joined fellow team-mates, John Muldoon, Gavin Duffy, Johnny O’Connor and Michael Swift in the “100 Club” still playing for the Province.

“Connacht has been my home for the last 5 years and it’s great to be able to commit for another 2 years. I’m delighted to have played for Ireland Wolfhounds and I would love to make the next step and represent Ireland at Senior level but at the moment I am concentrating on being the best rugby player I can be and helping Connacht make their mark in the Magners League.”

Connacht are also pleased to announced the signing of Ulster’s TJ Anderson. The 24 year old back-row player will join Connacht at the end of this season on a 2 year deal. Anderson has been capped 18 times in the Magners League in his 3 years with Ulster and has been a regular in their British and Irish Cup team, captaining the Ulster Ravens back in January. The 6’4” 98kg Magherafelt born player was part of the Ireland U20 team that won the Grand Slam in 2007 in a side that included current Connacht players Andrew Browne, Jamie Hagan and Shane Monahan.

Connacht got off to a flying start after winning the kick-off. Line-breaking carries from Michael Swift, Ray Ofisa and Mike McCarthy gave scrum-half Frank Murphy quick-ball to work with. After spreading the ball wide through the quick hands of Ian Keatley and Fionn Carr, Brain Tuohy passed the ball back inside for Troy Nathan to score under the posts. Ian Keatley converted the try and added 3 more points just 4 minutes later when Treviso flanker Mano Vosawai was sin-binned for what looked like a dangerous tackle on Ray Ofisa. Connacht were in the driving seat and it wasn’t long before the immense pressure generated by the forwards created an opening for Frank Murphy to dot down in the corner leaving the core 15-0 after just 10 minutes. When Treviso were penalised for boring in a scrum just inside their own half, Keatley kicked the 3 points to open the gap to 18-0 but Treviso hit back with a try from winger Michele Sepe which outhalf Willem De Waal converted. Treviso added another try to their tally through flanker Manoa Vosawai but that was all the visitors could add as their indiscipline proved costly, the boot of Ian Keatley  adding a further 2 penalties to leave the half-time score Connacht 24-12 Treviso.

Connacht  flew out of the traps in the second half with a well worked move which saw Brian Tuohy score a try 6 minutes in, Keatley converted to give Connacht a 19 point led but Treviso kept at it and after De Waal kicked 2 more penalties they were back in contention. Treviso pressure in the Connacht 22 led to a penalty try after 3 scrums on the Connacht 5m line, De Waal converted from in front of the posts to bring them back into bonus point territory but Connacht held out for another well deserved victory. 4 wins from 5 games now for Connacht, the final score Connacht 31 25 Benetton Treviso

Connacht: 15 Gavin Duffy, 14 Brian Tuohy, 13 Niva Ta'auso, 12 TroyNathan, 11 Fionn Carr, 10 Ian Keatley, 9 Frank Murphy, 8 Ray Ofisa 7 Johnny O'Connor (c), 6 Andrew Browne, 5 Michael McCarthy, 4 Michael Swift, 3 Jamie Hagan, 2 Sean Cronin, 1 Brett Wilkinson,
Replacements: 16 Adrian Flavin, 17 Ronan Loughney, 18 Rodney Ah You, 19 Bernie Upton, 20 Dave Nolan, 21 Cillian Willis, 22 Miah Nikora, 23 Keith Matthews.

Treviso: 15 Brendan Williams, 14 Michele Sepe, 13 Ezio Galon, 12 Andrea Pratichetti, 11 Joseph Maddock, 10 Willem De Waal, 9 Ludovico Nitoglia, 8 Marco Filippucci, 7 Manoa Vosawai, 6 Benjamin Vermaak, 5 Corniel Van Zyl, 4 Antonio Pavanello (c), 3 Lorenzo Cittadini, 2 Franco Sbaraglini, 1 Ignacio Fernandez Rouyet.
Replacements: 16 Enrico Ceccato, 17 Michele Rizzo, 18 Pedro Di Santo, 19 Enrico Pavanello, 20 Gonzalo Padrò, 21 Paul Derbyshire, 22 Gonzalo Garcia, 23 Andrea Marcato.

Referee: Graham Knox (Scotland)

Pics (C) www.inpho.ie/Cathal Noonan