THE CONNACHT TEAM that will aim for a sixth consecutive victory shows five changes from the side that overcame Ospreys last weekend.
Pat Lam’s side, who are a point clear of Leinster at the top of the Guinness Pro12, face Edinburgh tomorrow evening at Murrayfield (7:35pm).
Connacht are boosted by the return of Ireland prop Nathan White, who replaces Rodney Ah You in the front row. Elsewhere in the pack, Quinn Roux is back from injury to take Ben Marshall’s place in the second row, while captain John Muldoon — who missed his first Pro12 game of the season last weekend — regains the number eight shirt from George Naoupu.
In the backs, scrum-half Kieran Marmion has also been released from Ireland camp so Caolin Blade misses out and Danie Poolman comes in for Niyi Adeolokun on the wing.
“It’s good to have some of our international boys back again this week, including Whitey [Nathan White] who has performed really well for Ireland. That extra experience will be important against a side like Edinburgh, who we’ve always had close encounters with,” said Connacht head coach Pat Lam.
“There is consistency in the way Edinburgh play — they are very physical, very direct, and they are a settled team with a lot of experienced players. Murrayfield is always tough but they’ve really made it into a fortress now, having only lost there once this season.
“But we’re traveling with confidence, knowing that if we continue to focus on what we’ve been doing and the game-plan we have in place, we can take another step closer to Champions Cup qualification.”
Connacht (v Edinburgh)
15. Tiernan O’Halloran
14. Danie Poolman
13. Bundee Aki
12. Craig Ronaldson
11. Matt Healy
10. AJ MacGinty
9. Kieran Marmion
1. Denis Buckley
2. Tom McCartney
3. Nathan White
4. Quinn Roux
5. Aly Muldowney
6. Sean O’Brien
7. Jake Heenan
8. John Muldoon (captain)
Replacements:
16. Dave Heffernan
17. Finlay Bealham
18. Rodney Ah You
19. Danny Qualter
20. Eoin McKeon
21. Caolin Blade
22. Peter Robb
23. Fionn Carr
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