CONNACHT ASSISTANT COACH Nigel Carolan has backed his side’s fitness as they prepare to face Cheetahs in the baking heat and high altitude of Bloemfontein later this afternoon [KO 3pm, eir Sport].
Temperatures are expected to hit the mid 30s at the Toyota Stadium as Connacht seek a second win of their South African tour following their 31-14 win over Southern Kings, and Carolan believes the team have nailed their preparation.
Connacht lost out to Cheetahs by a single point thanks to a last minute penalty in March, but after spending a week at altitude last time round, Andy Friend’s side chose to hone their preparations in the cooler Cape Town climate this time round.
“Last weekend it turned cooler for the match, 17 or 18 degrees which was helpful. But up in the Highveld it will be different,” said Carolan.
“We’re expecting it to be up mid-30s, which will be a real different challenge altogether. Once it hits the 30s, World Rugby has mandated that there is plenty of water breaks, but we just have to deal with it. We’ll try and control the tempo and manage to get through it.
“After the game last season the lads didn’t feel their lungs were burned up. We pride ourselves in our conditioning and the work the lads have done. While it’s different, they are conditioned to play high-tempo rugby. The big thing for us was managing the heat for the week and we could do that in Cape Town.”
Connacht have made five changes to the side that claimed a bonus point against Kings, with Niyi Adeolokun, Tom McCartney, Gavin Thornbury, Paul Boyle and Robin Coepland all promoted to the starting team.
“Cheetahs have a bigger pack than Kings but they’re not as mobile. They are dangerous from broken play though,” added Carolan.
“It’s a very similar test, but playing at altitude in that heat will add to it. Certainly we know we can cope and we know we can control the tempo of the game. It’s something that we just have to try and focus on and execute as best as we can.”
Cheetahs:
15. Malcolm Jaer
14. Rhyno Smith
13. William Small-Smith
12. Nico Lee
11. Darren Adonis
10. Louis Fouche
9. Shaun Venter (captain)
1. Ox Nche
2. Joseph Dweba
3. Erich de Jager
4. Sintu Manjezi
5. JP du Preez
6. Junior Pokomela
7. Abongile Nonkontwana
8. Gerhard Olivier.
Replacements:
16. Marnus van der Merwe
17. Charles Marais
18. Aranos Coetzee
19. Justin Basson
20. Daniel Maartens
21. Rudi Paige
22. Tian Schoeman
23. Benhard Janse van Rensburg.
Connacht:
15. Tiernan O’Halloran
14. Niyi Adeolokun
13. Kyle Godwin
12. Tom Farrell
11. Matt Healy
10. Jack Carty
9. Caolin Blade
1. Denis Buckley
2. Tom McCartney
3. Conor Carey
4. Ultan Dillane
5. Gavin Thornbury
6. Paul Boyle
7. Jarrad Butler (captain)
8. Robin Copeland
Replacements:
16. Shane Delahunt
17. Peter McCabe
18. Dominic Robertson-McCoy
19. James Cannon
20. Colby Fainga’a
21. James Mitchell
22. David Horwitz
23. Cian Kelleher.
Referee: Dan Jones [WRU].
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