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- Four changes from side that beat Cardiff
- Finn Treacy handed first start on left wing
- Murray, O’Connor, Blade also come into team
Connacht head coach Pete Wilkins has named his side for tomorrow’s BKT United Rugby Championship fixture with Benetton at Dexcom Stadium (k/o 7.35pm).
There are just four changes from the side that secured a bonus point victory over Cardiff two weeks ago. After making his debut off the bench against Glasgow in January, Academy winger Finn Treacy is handed his first start on the left wing, while Caolin Blade comes in at scrum-half. The remaining change is a new second-row pairing of Darragh Murray and David O’Connor.
The front row of Peter Dooley, Dave Heffernan and Jack Aungier is unchanged, as is the back row of captain Cian Prendergast who has recovered from illness, alongside Shamus Hurley-Langton and number 8 Paul Boyle.
Josh Ioane continues as out-half, as does the centre pairing of Cathal Forde and Hugh Gavin. The back three is completed by Shayne Bolton and full-back Piers O’Conor.
Among the replacements is Dylan Tierney-Martin who will make his 50th appearance for his native province if called upon.
Limited tickets remain on sale at connachtrugby.ie/tickets.
Head coach Pete Wilkins says:
“This is the second of two games which we knew would put us back into playoff contention if we win them. We got what we needed from Cardiff, so if we can further elevate our performance and pick up another win, we’re right in the mix. Benetton are a tough, physical side who have had the better of us the last few years, so we if can front up from the start and get the crowd behind us, we’ll give ourselves every chance.”
CONNACHT RUGBY MATCHDAY SQUAD VS BENETTON
19:35, Saturday 1st March 2025 @ Dexcom Stadium
Number/Name/Caps
15. Piers O’Conor (13)
14. Shayne Bolton (20)
13. Hugh Gavin (3)
12. Cathal Forde (44)
11. Finn Treacy (1)
10. Josh Ioane (9)
9. Caolin Blade (204)
1. Peter Dooley (48)
2. Dave Heffernan (211)
3. Jack Aungier (79)
4. Darragh Murray (32)
5. David O’Connor (6)
6. Cian Prendergast (80) Captain
7. Shamus Hurley-Langton (50)
8. Paul Boyle (107)
16. Dylan Tierney-Martin (49)
17. Denis Buckley (258)
18. Sam Illo (28)
19. Josh Murphy (30)
20. Oisín Dowling (70)
21. Matthew Devine (11)
22. JJ Hanrahan (22)
23. David Hawkshaw (40)
