URC: Ospreys v Connacht, Swansea. Com Stadium, Saturday, 5.15 – Live on RTÉ 2 and Premier Sports 1
Having put themselves in a strong position to make the URC playoffs, Connacht now need that form to continue against Ospreys on Saturday evening.
On the back of two successive wins over Cardiff and Benetton at home, Pete Wilkins’s squad travels to Swansea to face the Welsh outfit with just a single point between them in the table.
Connacht, with 29 points, hold ninth place by virtue of points differential with Emirates Lions, but the Ospreys have huge incentive, knowing they could overtake them with a win.
Wilkins acknowledges achieving the victory will be more difficult on the road.
“Obviously, we don’t have the comforts of home and the comforts of our outstanding support, so it’s about us giving each other energy, and understanding what weapons we can bring to the game, and putting ourselves in the best place to perform.
“It’s the business end of the season. With the playoffs now coming into sight, there’s massive motivation for us.”
Wilkins has made just three changes from the side that edged Benetton 38-30 at Dexcom Stadium, with Denis Buckley, captain Joe Joyce and Josh Murphy coming into the side. Wilkins is sticking with the same backline that last time out produced four of their six tries.
Ospreys are boosted with the return of Adam Beard, who had suffered a knee injury in the Autumn Nations Series with Wales. They will also have a spring in their step having bagged a 32-31 win away to current champions Glasgow last time out, a result that has edged them closer to the top eight and given them huge incentive and confidence boost.
Ospreys coach Duncan Jones acknowledges Welsh lock Beard “is coming back at a good time” and “can hopefully help us keep driving performances”.
Missing from Ospreys are Wales captain Jac Morgan, Dewi Lake and Gareth Thomas, who were part of the side that suffered their record defeat to England.
OSPREYS: J Walsh; D Kasende, E Boshoff, K Williams, K Giles; D Edwards, K Hardy; G Phillips, S Barry, T Botha; J Ratti, A Beard; M Morse, J Tipuric, M Morris.
Replacements: G McGuignan, S Thomas, B Warren, J Fender, T Davis, R Morgan-Williams, P Cokanasiga, I Hopkins.
CONNACHT: P O’Conor; F Treacy, H Gavin, C Forde, S Bolton; J Ioane, C Blade; D Buckley, D Heffernan, J Aungier; D Murray, J Joyce (capt); J Murphy, S Hurley-Langton, P Boyle.
Replacements: D Tierney-Martin, T Lasisi, S Illo, O Dowling, M Devine, JJ Hanrahan, S Jansen.
Referee: Aimee Barrett-Theron (SARU).
