Bradleys men to pull the plug in the West Country

By Sea_point
October 29 2006

Connacht coach Michael Bradley has made some changes to the side that lost by a single point to NEC Harlequins last week. Skipper John Fogarty returns to the side while Matt Mostyn and high scoring Mark McHugh have both been ruled out through injury.

European Challenge Cup

Bath V Connacht

The Recreation Ground, Bath
Referee: David Rosich
Saturday 28th October 2006, 14:15

Coverage (updates) of the game on Saturday on both GalwayBayFM and BBC Radio Bristol....

Tom Tierney comes in at nine for the off-colour Chris Keane who drops to the bench, while Paul Warwick will step into the injured Mark McHugh's shoes at out half. Keith Matthews gets a run on the wing for the unfortunate Mostyn, Matt tweaked his hamstring after a try creating break early on in the Harlequins game in the first round of matches.

The Connacht pack has a very settled look to it (allowing for some longer term injuries), with Fogarty interchanging with the very impressive Adrian Flavin at Hooker. Connacht are very well served in this area with Ireland U-21 International Joe Merrigan still to return to full fitness. The support play and hard hitting tackling of Ray Ofisa have shone through in the last few games, as the Samoan is gradually come to terms with his first season of Northern Hemisphere rugby. On the opposite side of the scrum, John Muldoon has continued his excellent form from last season and become a major influence at the breakdown with his huge tackle count underlying his importance to the team. With the experienced Colm Rigney packing down in the middle of the back-row.

David Gannon and Andrew Farley have caused innumerable problems for opposition lineout’s this season; the ever-present Farley has found a renewed hunger alongside Gannon who has been showing his former province Leinster what they are missing week in week out.

At the coal face Connacht have struggled somewhat, Ray Hogan is not long back from injury, and his performances thus far have been improving as his match fitness increases and along with Brett Sturgess has plugged the gap that Connacht’s front row injury crisis has created. Hogan (another of Connacht’s Churchill Cup representatives this summer) has shown his versatility by swapping sides of the scrum. However with a strong XV and a very experienced replacement bench, Connacht should feel in very "competitve" mood..

This is a huge game for Connacht, made more important by the surpise defeat at home to Guinness Premiership's bottom side NEC Harlequins. If Connacht are to make any mark in this season's tournament then this is a game that Connacht cannot afford to lose. With Bath having dug out a result last week in Montpellier and the Frenchmen's renowned aversion to away games, Harelquins will be favourites to earn full points at home to ouir old friends the Heraults. This means that another slip up to Bath will leave a virtually impossible task for Connacht in the remainder of the group matches.

Meanwhile Bath Rugby’s team to face Connacht in round two of the European Challenge Cup sees several changes from that which defeated Montpellier a week ago in France.

A superior points difference over NEC Harlequins means that Bath go into tomorrow’s match at the top of pool four, but they will be aware that Connacht will be smarting from their one-point home loss to the London side.

Rob Fidler returns to the side after a short injury lay-off, and takes the place of Danny Grewcock. Both Grewcock and Lee Mears, who were named in England’s squad for the international against New Zealand on 5th November, are among the replacements, which gives hooker Rob Hawkins, as well as Fidler in the second row, the chance to start.

There are three changes in the backs: Former England & Lions full back Matt Perry starts at full-back for Nick Abendanon, and Tom Cheeseman starts on the right wing with former french International David Bory coming in on the left wing. Andy Williams has recovered from a shoulder injury and so is named on the bench.

Bath:
Matt Perry; Tom Cheeseman; Shaun Berne; Eliota Fuimaono; David Bory; Chris Malone; Nick Walshe; David Barnes; Rob Hawkins; David Flatman; Peter Short; Rob Fidler; Andrew Beattie (capt); James Scaysbrook; Isaac Feaunati

Replacements
Lee Mears; Laurence Ovens; Christopher Goodman; Danny Grewcock; Michael Stephenson; Joe Maddock; Andy Williams

Connacht:
Daniel Riordan; Keith Matthews, John Hearty, Gavin Williams, Darren Yapp; Paul Warwick, Tom Tierney; Ray Hogan, John Fogarty (captain), Brett Sturgess; David Gannon, Andrew Farley; John Muldoon, Ray Ofisa, Colm Rigney.

Replacements:

Adrian Flavin, Brett Wilkinson, Michael Swift, Brendan O’Connor, Chris Keane, AN Other, Ted Robinson.