THERE WAS A beautiful flurry of interplay between three of Connacht’s backs last weekend in Treviso in the build-up to Seán O’Brien’s first-half try.
Out-half Ciarán Frawley passed short to fullback Sam Gilbert, who popped a pass back to Frawley looping outside him, all while left wing Mack Hansen swung across from left to right out the back.
Frawley then dropped a short pass to the accelerating Hansen, who surged into contact before offloading back to Frawley. The out-half instinctively kept the ball moving with a slick no-look pass out the back of his right hand, freeing loosehead prop Francois van Wyk to make big gains.
That sequence of play between Frawley, Gilbert and Hansen was surely intoxicating for Connacht fans. It gave an immediate sense of kindred spirits uniting in the same backline.
And Connacht supporters will be hoping to see something similar from an even more exciting backline in tonight’s URC clash away to Glasgow [KO 7.45pm, TG4/Premier Sports].
Gilbert is on the bench this time around, with the undoubtedly exciting Josh Ioane coming into the starting XV at fullback after making an impact there as a replacement in Italy.
Frawley continues at out-half, Hansen is on the left wing again, and the clever Cathal Forde retains the number 12 shirt, while Bundee Aki gets his seasonal bow at outside centre, and Shayne Bolton makes his first start of the season on the right wing.
There is a nice combination of power and guile to that backline, on paper at least. Stuart Lancaster will be excited to see how they gel against a Glasgow team that has serious attacking firepower of its own.
Frawley is still a fresh face in this Connacht side, although he knew plenty of his new team-mates already. Aki and Hansen are very familiar from Ireland camp, while Bolton has been in that international mix too.
Advertisement
Mack Hansen during last weekend's win in Italy. Matteo Ciambelli / INPHO
Matteo Ciambelli / INPHO / INPHO
Forde was once again an important figure in Connacht’s win against Benetton last weekend, while scrum-half Caolin Blade is an experienced figure who will feel he is now working back to his best after an injury-hit campaign last season.
And yet, while there is much to be giddy about in this Connacht backline, there is also a great sense of realism about how much better the western province’s pack need to be if they’re to pull off an upset in Glasgow.
It’s remarkable that Connacht won against Benetton given that they conceded six scrum penalties, as well as being broken for two close-range maul tries for the Italian side. That was a continuation of the theme of Connacht’s opening-round loss at home to the Stormers, whose scrum and maul did major damage.
New Connacht scrum coach Trevor Woodman and forwards coach John Muldoon will be eager to see much more solidity in these areas against a Glasgow side who play attractive rugby but bring real edge in the set-piece too.
Lancaster will also have hammered home the importance of exiting from Connacht’s half more cleanly after several hiccups in that aspect of the game in Treviso.
The Connacht boss has brought lock Niall Murray, back row Paul Boyle and hooker Eoin de Buitléar – who surged through Michele Lamaro just before Frawley’s winning try last weekend – into the starting pack for tonight’s contest. There’s also a boost with powerful back row Shamus Hurley-Langton returning from injury on the bench.
Perhaps most pertinently, Billy Bohan and Sam Illo start in the prop slots, keen to pick up where they left off last season. 20-year-old loosehead Bohan and 25-year-old tighthead Illo were impressive for Connacht before making their Ireland debuts against Japan during the Nations Championship window in July.
With the highly experienced van Wyk and Finlay Bealham having struggled to earn the favour of referees and much scrum momentum in the opening two weekends, Bohan and Illo come into the starting XV this time around.
For their part, Glasgow have looked for fresh impact in their pack following last weekend’s exhilarating 33-33 draw with Ulster.
Skipper Sione Tuipulotu is among Glasgow's weapons. Craig Watson / INPHO
Craig Watson / INPHO / INPHO
Nathan McBeth is in at loosehead, Scott Cummings starts in the second row, and Macenzzie Duncan is introduced at number eight. The likes of openside Rory Darge and blindside Matt Fagerson will seek to bring physical fire against Connacht.
Head coach Franco Smith has moved the live wire Jamie Dobie from the wing to scrum-half, with Dan Lancaster, Stuart’s son, continuing in the number 10 shirt.
Outside centre Ollie Smith and 21-year-old wing Fergus Watson are the other fresh faces in the Glasgow starting XV, which is captained by elite inside centre Sione Tuipulotu.
Smith is missing some key figures like Stafford McDowall, Kyle Steyn and Zander Fagerson due to injury, but Connacht know a formidable test awaits.
Their supporters will hope for fireworks from this exciting backline, but head coach Lancaster will purely be hoping to pick up a second win of the season.
GLASGOW: Josh McKay; Kyle Rowe, Ollie Smith, Sione Tuipulotu (captain), Fergus Watson; Dan Lancaster, Jamie Dobie; Nathan McBeth, Gregor Hiddleston, Fin Richardson; Max Williamson, Scott Cummings; Matt Fagerson, Rory Darge, Macenzzie Duncan.
Replacements: Seb Stephen, Patrick Schickerling, Sam Talakai, Gregor Brown, Jare Oguntibeju, Ally Miller, George Horne, Bayley Kuenzle.
CONNACHT: Josh Ioane; Shayne Bolton, Bundee Aki, Cathal Forde, Mack Hansen; Ciarán Frawley, Caolin Blade; Billy Bohan, Eoin de Buitléar, Sam Illo; Darragh Murray, Niall Murray; Cian Prendergast (captain), Paul Boyle, Sean Jansen.
Replacements: Matthew Victory, Francois van Wyk, Finlay Bealham, Josh Murphy, Shamus Hurley-Langton, Colm Reilly, Sean Naughton, Sam Gilbert.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Close
Comments
This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic.
Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy
here
before taking part.
It's a thrilling Connacht backline, but they must improve up front in Glasgow
THERE WAS A beautiful flurry of interplay between three of Connacht’s backs last weekend in Treviso in the build-up to Seán O’Brien’s first-half try.
Out-half Ciarán Frawley passed short to fullback Sam Gilbert, who popped a pass back to Frawley looping outside him, all while left wing Mack Hansen swung across from left to right out the back.
Frawley then dropped a short pass to the accelerating Hansen, who surged into contact before offloading back to Frawley. The out-half instinctively kept the ball moving with a slick no-look pass out the back of his right hand, freeing loosehead prop Francois van Wyk to make big gains.
That sequence of play between Frawley, Gilbert and Hansen was surely intoxicating for Connacht fans. It gave an immediate sense of kindred spirits uniting in the same backline.
And Connacht supporters will be hoping to see something similar from an even more exciting backline in tonight’s URC clash away to Glasgow [KO 7.45pm, TG4/Premier Sports].
Gilbert is on the bench this time around, with the undoubtedly exciting Josh Ioane coming into the starting XV at fullback after making an impact there as a replacement in Italy.
Frawley continues at out-half, Hansen is on the left wing again, and the clever Cathal Forde retains the number 12 shirt, while Bundee Aki gets his seasonal bow at outside centre, and Shayne Bolton makes his first start of the season on the right wing.
There is a nice combination of power and guile to that backline, on paper at least. Stuart Lancaster will be excited to see how they gel against a Glasgow team that has serious attacking firepower of its own.
Frawley is still a fresh face in this Connacht side, although he knew plenty of his new team-mates already. Aki and Hansen are very familiar from Ireland camp, while Bolton has been in that international mix too.
Forde was once again an important figure in Connacht’s win against Benetton last weekend, while scrum-half Caolin Blade is an experienced figure who will feel he is now working back to his best after an injury-hit campaign last season.
And yet, while there is much to be giddy about in this Connacht backline, there is also a great sense of realism about how much better the western province’s pack need to be if they’re to pull off an upset in Glasgow.
It’s remarkable that Connacht won against Benetton given that they conceded six scrum penalties, as well as being broken for two close-range maul tries for the Italian side. That was a continuation of the theme of Connacht’s opening-round loss at home to the Stormers, whose scrum and maul did major damage.
New Connacht scrum coach Trevor Woodman and forwards coach John Muldoon will be eager to see much more solidity in these areas against a Glasgow side who play attractive rugby but bring real edge in the set-piece too.
Lancaster will also have hammered home the importance of exiting from Connacht’s half more cleanly after several hiccups in that aspect of the game in Treviso.
The Connacht boss has brought lock Niall Murray, back row Paul Boyle and hooker Eoin de Buitléar – who surged through Michele Lamaro just before Frawley’s winning try last weekend – into the starting pack for tonight’s contest. There’s also a boost with powerful back row Shamus Hurley-Langton returning from injury on the bench.
Perhaps most pertinently, Billy Bohan and Sam Illo start in the prop slots, keen to pick up where they left off last season. 20-year-old loosehead Bohan and 25-year-old tighthead Illo were impressive for Connacht before making their Ireland debuts against Japan during the Nations Championship window in July.
With the highly experienced van Wyk and Finlay Bealham having struggled to earn the favour of referees and much scrum momentum in the opening two weekends, Bohan and Illo come into the starting XV this time around.
For their part, Glasgow have looked for fresh impact in their pack following last weekend’s exhilarating 33-33 draw with Ulster.
Nathan McBeth is in at loosehead, Scott Cummings starts in the second row, and Macenzzie Duncan is introduced at number eight. The likes of openside Rory Darge and blindside Matt Fagerson will seek to bring physical fire against Connacht.
Head coach Franco Smith has moved the live wire Jamie Dobie from the wing to scrum-half, with Dan Lancaster, Stuart’s son, continuing in the number 10 shirt.
Outside centre Ollie Smith and 21-year-old wing Fergus Watson are the other fresh faces in the Glasgow starting XV, which is captained by elite inside centre Sione Tuipulotu.
Smith is missing some key figures like Stafford McDowall, Kyle Steyn and Zander Fagerson due to injury, but Connacht know a formidable test awaits.
Their supporters will hope for fireworks from this exciting backline, but head coach Lancaster will purely be hoping to pick up a second win of the season.
GLASGOW: Josh McKay; Kyle Rowe, Ollie Smith, Sione Tuipulotu (captain), Fergus Watson; Dan Lancaster, Jamie Dobie; Nathan McBeth, Gregor Hiddleston, Fin Richardson; Max Williamson, Scott Cummings; Matt Fagerson, Rory Darge, Macenzzie Duncan.
Replacements: Seb Stephen, Patrick Schickerling, Sam Talakai, Gregor Brown, Jare Oguntibeju, Ally Miller, George Horne, Bayley Kuenzle.
CONNACHT: Josh Ioane; Shayne Bolton, Bundee Aki, Cathal Forde, Mack Hansen; Ciarán Frawley, Caolin Blade; Billy Bohan, Eoin de Buitléar, Sam Illo; Darragh Murray, Niall Murray; Cian Prendergast (captain), Paul Boyle, Sean Jansen.
Replacements: Matthew Victory, Francois van Wyk, Finlay Bealham, Josh Murphy, Shamus Hurley-Langton, Colm Reilly, Sean Naughton, Sam Gilbert.
Referee: Ben Breakspear [WRU].
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Connacht Glasgow Kindred Spirits URC