Kick off
Friday 11th October, 7.35pm, Rodney Parade, Newport
Tickets
Match tickets remain on sale throughout Friday and ahead of kick-off. Gates open at 6.05pm on Friday night – rugby is back on Parade so make sure you come and join us! Call 01633 674990 or click HERE to buy online.
Form
Connacht’s 41-5 victory over Benetton last Saturday ended a three-game losing run in Guinness PRO14. The Irishmen have won just once away from home in the Championship since last December by a single point in 11 against Zebre in Parma in April. Connacht’s most recent victory in Wales was 19-13 at Cardiff Blues in February 2017.
Connacht: Tiernan O’Halloran, John Porch, Kyle Godwin, Peter Robb, Matt Healy, Conor Fitzgerald, Caolin Blade; Paddy McAllister, Tom McCartney, Finlay Bealham, Gavin Thornbury, Quinn Roux, Eoghan Masterson, Jarrad Butler (C), Paul Boyle
Replacements: Shane Delahunt, Denis Buckley, Dominic Robertson-McCoy, Ultan Dillane, Cillian Gallagher, Kieran Marmion, Tom Farrell, Stephen Fitzgerald
Three To Watch
Jarrad Butler
Jarrad Butler was named Connacht’s new captain last season, taking over from John Muldoon. The back row joined Connacht from the Brumbies in 2017 and had a superb first season for the province, with consistently hard-nosed performances across his 19 appearances. Butler, who played Super Rugby for the Reds as well as the Brumbies, is a former Australia U20 international who could qualify for Ireland under residency grounds in 2020.
John Porch
Australian wing John Porch will make his first competitive start for Connacht in Friday night’s clash with the Dragons at Rodney Parade. Porch is a veteran of the Australian Sevens team, having joined the programme in 2015. Porch played in the Rio 2016 Olympic Games and scored 252 points across his 17 caps.
Caolin Blade
Galway-born Blade has once again caught the eye in the opening weeks of the 2019/20 campaign for Connacht. Now in his fifth season with Connacht's senior squad, the scrum half is closing in on a century of appearances. Blade represented Ireland at age-grade level before being named in the full Ireland squad for the opening rounds of the 2019 Six Nations.
