SHANE DELAHUNT, THE Connacht hooker, will become the province’s latest centurion after he was selected in their starting XV for tomorrow’s final Rainbow Cup game of the season against Ospreys at the Sportsground (k/o 6pm, eir Sport).
Delahunt joined the Connacht Academy in 2014 and made his debut off the bench against Glasgow that September. Following a string of appearances he was handed his first senior contract ahead of the 2016-17 season and has been a mainstay in the squad since then.
Delahunt starts in a new look front row with props Jordan Duggan and Dominic Robertson-McCoy, while Niall Murray and Ultan Dillane continue their second row partnership. There’s one change in the back row where Eoghan Masterson starts at number 8, with flankers Cian Prendergast and Jarrad Butler retained.
There are further changes at half-back with Caolin Blade and Jack Carty both starting, while Tom Daly and Bundee Aki continue to pair up at centre. The final change is in the back three where Ben O’Donnell comes onto the wing, with Peter Sullivan on the opposite side and Alex Wootton moving to full-back.
Connacht coach, Andy Friend, said: “I’m delighted for Shane because he’s a great character and a popular member of the dressing room.
“To get to 100 caps is a tremendous achievement and he’ll want to finish the season on a high. We all do. It has been such a strange and long 12 months but we owe it to ourselves, the supporters and the departing players to do everything we can to win this one.”
Connacht
Name/Number/Caps
15. Alex Wootton (21)
14. Peter Sullivan (16)
13. Bundee Aki (110)
12. Tom Daly (48)
11. Ben O’Donnell (5)
10. Jack Carty (158)
9. Caolin Blade (131)
1. Jordan Duggan (12)
2. Shane Delahunt (99)
3. Dominic Robertson-McCoy (67)
4. Niall Murray (17)
5. Ultan Dillane (113)
6. Cian Prendergast
7. Jarrad Butler (72) (C)
8. Eoghan Masterson (110)
Replacements
16. Jonny Murphy (15)
17. Matthew Burke (22)
18. Jack Aungier (13)
19. Oisin Dowling (6)
20. Sean Masterson (12)
21. Kieran Marmion (186)
22. Conor Fitzgerald (36)
23. Sammy Arnold (15)
