KIERAN MARMION IS set to make his return to action when Connacht host the Toyota Cheetahs in the Guinness Pro14 on Saturday evening [TG4/eir, kick-off 5.30pm].
The scrum-half has not played in almost three months since undergoing ankle surgery following Ireland’s famous win against New Zealand.
But after making quick progress through his rehab, the 27-year-old is named among the replacements for the Conference A clash at the Sportsground.
Ultan Dillane, Caolin Blade, Jack Carty and Tom Farrell all start for Andy Friend’s side having been released from the Ireland set-up, but both Bundee Aki and Quinn Roux remain with the national side ahead of the game against Italy.
The Cheetahs arrive out west on a four-game winning streak with two victories against Zebre and two against the Southern Kings in quick succession since the turn of the year.
“Since we played them earlier in the season they have been improving steadily and have the results to show for it,” Friend said.
“They are real contenders in the conference now, so we know the importance of this game in the context of the overall season.”
“They are a really hard team to play against and even trying to review them can be difficult. They seem to play so off the cuff that it can be difficult to predict what they are going to do next.
“We know the threat they pose in attack so we will face a huge challenge.”
Connacht
15. Darragh Leader
14. Cian Kelleher
13. Tom Farrell
12. Tom Daly
11. Stephen Fitzgerald
10. Jack Carty
9. Caolin Blade
1. Denis Buckley
2. Tom McCartney
3. Finlay Bealham
4. Ultan Dillane
5. James Cannon
6. Eoin McKeon
7. Colby Fainga’a
8. Jarrad Butler (capt)
Replacements:
16. Dave Heffernan
17. Peter McCabe
18. Dominic Robertson-McCoy
19. Cillian Gallagher
20. Paul Boyle
21. Kieran Marmion
22. Conor Fitzgerald
23. Kyle Godwin
Toyota Cheetahs
15. Louis Fouche
14. William Small-Smith
13. Dries Swanepoel
12. Nico Lee
11. Rabz Maxwane
10. Tian Schoeman
1. Charles Marais
2. Marnus van der Merwe
3. Aranos Coetzee
4. Jasper Wiese
5. JP du Preez
6. Abongile Nonkontwana
7. Junior Pokomela
8. Gerhard Olivier
Replacements:
16. Reinach Venter
17. Ox Nche
18. Luan de Bruin
19. Sintu Manjezi
20. Walt Steenkamp
21. Henco Venter
22. Tian Meyer
23. Rudy Paige
Murray Kinsella, Andy Dunne and Gavan Casey break down Ireland’s dogged win against Scotland in Murrayfield, and look at the room for improvement, in the latest episode of The42 Rugby Weekly.
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