Connacht sweating on injured stars
Wed, 01 Sep 2010 17:27
Connacht coach Eric Elwood will be sweating on the fitness of a number of his star players, ahead of their first Magners League clash of the new season.
There will be late fitness tests for a number of players, before they tackle the Newport Gwent Dragons at Sportsground, Galway, on Saturday.
This gives some of the younger squad members the opportunity for inclusion.
Dermot Murphy will join as cover at hooker, Aidan Wynne covers the backline, while Adam Kennedy adds an extra option at scrumhalf.
Speaking at this weeks press conference Elwood said he was happy with the pre-season training (which included trips to the Aran Islands and the Curragh) and the two games against Harlequins and Saracens, but that the real test of the team was the Magners League and competitive matches.
The inclusion of Sean Cronin and Gavin Duffy, back from international duty, is a welcome boost to Elwood's squad - which has seen a number of players ruled out for extended periods.
This include John Muldoon with a fractured arm, Robbie Morris (back) and Johnny O'Connor (back), who are all out of contention.
Connacht squad: Ronan Loughney, Brett Wilkinson, Sean Cronin, Dermot Murphy, Adrian Flavin, Rob Sweeney, Jamie Hagan, Dave Nolan, Michael Swift, Bernie Upton, Michael McCarthy, Ray Ofisa, Mike McComish, Ezra Taylor, Cillian Willis, Adam Kennedy, Frank Murphy, Miah Nikora, Ian Keatley, Fionn Carr, Keith Matthews, Niva Taauso, Tiernan O'Halloran, Aidan Wynne, Troy Nathan, Gavin Duffy.
Date: Saturday, September 4
Venue: Sportsground, Galway
Kick-off: 17.30 (16.30 GMT)
Referee: James Jones (Wales)
Assistant referees: Alan Rogan (Ireland), Ollie Hodges (Ireland)
TMO: Sean Flannery (Ireland)
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