CHALLENGE CUP:COACH MICHAEL Bradley has made 12 changes to the Connacht side that faced Scarlets last week for his team's visit to London on Saturday to face the Exiles. Bradley is in no doubt as to the challenge for his side as London Irish currently occupy top spot in the English Premiership League from second-placed Gloucester after 12 matches, although they did suffer their fourth defeat of the season when they were beaten 14-8 by Sale Sharks last weekend.
Connacht need to win at the Madejski Stadium this weekend or next week at the Sportsground when they meet French side Dax in order to book a quarter-final place in this season’s European Challenge Cup.
As a consequence of needing at least one win, Bradley is looking at his squad and starting selections in the context of both European matches as well as the three Magners League matches that Connacht have recently played.
“We are taking the two games as a pair and will be using our full squad over the two games,” said Bradley.
“We have made a lot of changes as the same team, more or less, have played the last three matches against Munster, Leinster and the Scarlets in 13 days and could not be expected to play five games in a row.
“We need a win and probably a bonus point from these two games and that should be enough for us to qualify.”
Connacht’s realism tell them that they are aiming for one of the runner-up places as London Irish are currently six points ahead in the pool. The Premiership team would need to lose against both Connacht and Italian side Rovigo in order to be overtaken. Former London Irish hooker Andrew Flavin captains the Connacht team.
Munster will announce their team to face Sale Sharks in Cork today.
Meanwhile, the Irish Rugby Football Union has launched a survey on the Experimental Law Variations (ELVs) that have been on trial in the Northern Hemisphere since last August.
The survey is to gauge the reaction of all rugby stakeholders to the ELVs and will form part of the IRFU’s presentation to the International Rugby Board on their effect on the game in Ireland. The IRB will be seeking submissions from member countries before decisions are made in May 2009 on whether the laws should be made permanent.
All stakeholders in Irish rugby, including players, coaches, administrators and supporters, are encouraged to take part in the survey to give a full spectrum of opinions on the laws.
“While we have been constantly reviewing the ELVs throughout the season, this survey will provide us with more feedback from across the rugby community in Ireland on how the ELVs have affected, either positively or negatively, their rugby experience,” said Owen Doyle of the IRFU Laws Technical Group.
“For the survey to be effective we need as many rugby stakeholders to take part as possible to give us a full range of views. There are plenty of opinions on the impact of the ELV’s to the game, so this survey will focus those opinions into one clear source and help us in our submissions to the IRB in May.”
CONNACHT: (v London Irish): D Riordan; F Carr, J Hearty, M Deane, T Nathan; A Dunne, K Campbell; J Lyne, A Flavin ©, R Loughney, M Swift, A Farley, A Browne, D gannon, C Rigney. Replacements: J Merrigan, B McGovern, M McCarthy, J Muldoon, C O'Loughlin, I Keatley, M Roberts.
