JACK CARTY IS among six absentees who will return to Connacht’s starting lineup for Saturday’s crucial URC fixture with Cardiff at The Sportsground (7:35pm, RTÉ2).
Captain Carty returns at out-half, while Ireland international Finlay Bealham has also made it back from injury along with Denis Buckley, Jarrad Butler, Josh Murphy and Diarmuid Kilgallen, all of whom start for Andy Friend’s men.
Carty has missed the last three games with a hamstring injury, while Bealham hasn’t played any rugby since sustaining a knee injury in Round 3 of the Six Nations.
A seventh Connacht change to the team that lost out to Benetton in the Challenge Cup earlier this month sees Dylan Tierney-Martin start at hooker, with Eoin de Buitléar named on the bench.
Connacht (v Cardiff)
- 15. Tiernan O’Halloran
- 14. Diarmuid Kilgallen
- 13. Tom Farrell
- 12. Bundee Aki
- 11. Mack Hansen
- 10. Jack Carty (Captain)
- 9. Caolin Blade
- 1. Denis Buckley
- 2. Dylan Tierney-Martin
- 3. Finlay Bealham
- 4. Josh Murphy
- 5. Niall Murray
- 6. Cian Prendergast
- 7. Conor Oliver
- 8. Jarrad Butler
Replacements:
- 16. Eoin de Buitléar
- 17. Peter Dooley
- 18. Dominic Robertson-McCoy
- 19. Oisín Dowling
- 20. Shamus Hurley-Langton
- 21. Kieran Marmion
- 22. Tom Daly
- 23. Shane Jennings
