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Chelsea v Southampton – Preview, Betting & Probable Starting Teams

After a tough seven days, Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea will look to turn their form around at home to Southampton in the Premier League

Chelsea v Southampton will kick off at 15:00 on Saturday, 2nd October in Stamford Bridge with Martin Atkinson as referee.

Chelsea is in desperate need of a win. They have had two poor 1-0 losses in the last week against Juventus and Manchester City. They still stand in third place in the league, only one point off Liverpool in the top spot.

The Blues’ injury list is not too long but they will be without Ngolo Kanté (Covid-19) and Mason Mount (Knock) who also missed the Champions League tie midweek.

Ralph Hasenhutl has managed to form a solid Premier League squad after the loss of Jannik Vestergaard and Danny Ings. They are still without a win in the top-flight this season but have ground out four draws, including against Man City and West Ham.

Southampton most recently lost to Wolverhampton last week and the game showcased their main problem; their lack of composure in front of goal.

Southampton fans have not been looking forward to this fixture. In their last 20 meetings, Southampton has only won three matches and Chelsea has been victorious 11 times. This game will also be a precursor for the EFL Cup Round 4 match taking place later this month.

Chelsea v Southampton Probable Starting Teams

Chelsea

Formation

4-3-2-1

Probable Starting 11

Mendy (GK), Chalobah, Rudiger, Christensen, Alonso, Saul, Jorginho, Hudson-Odoi, Ziyech, Havertz, Lukaku.

Injuries / Suspensions

Pulisic (Ankle), Mount (Knock), Kanté (Covid-19), James (Ankle)

Southampton

Formation

4-4-2

Probable Starting 11

McCarthy (GK), Livramento, Bednarek, Salisu, Walker-Pieters, Djenepo, Ward-Prowse, Romeu, Redmond, Adams, Armstrong.

Injuries / Suspensions

Broja (Personal reasons), Stephens (Knee), Armstrong (Calf), Smallbone (Cruciate ligament injury)

 

Betting

Chelsea 1/3

Draw 15/4

Southampton 8/1

 

Score Prediction

Hasenhutl may still be looking for his team’s first win of the season but that will be very hard to come by away in Stamford Bridge. Tuchel will have drilled his players and they will be looking for nothing less than 3 points well-secured.

Expect this game to end 3-0 to Chelsea.

To read more in-depth and up-to-date national and Premier League football news, click here.

List of Irish Sports Fixtures Taking Place In October 2021

This is a list of all major Irish sports fixtures scheduled for October 2021.

Friday, October 1st 2021 – Rugby: Connacht v Vodacom Bulls 7:35 pm, The Sportsground – United Rugby Championship.

Friday, October 1st 2021 – Football: Shamrock Rovers v Derry City 7:45 pm, Tallaght Stadium – League of Ireland Premier Division.

Saturday, October 2nd 2021 – Rugby: Zebre v Ulster 5:15 pm, Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi – United Rugby Championship.

Saturday, October 2nd 2021 – Rugby: Dragons v Leinster 2:00 pm, Rodney Parade – United Rugby Championship.

Saturday, October 2nd 2021 – Rugby: Munster v DHL Stormers 7:35 pm, Thomond Park – United Rugby Championship.

Tuesday, October 5th 2021 – Cricket: Ireland v Zimbabwe 9:30 am, Zimbabwe – One-Day International.

Tuesday, October 5th 2021 – Hockey: Ireland v Malaysia, 6:30 pm, Lisnagarvey HC – Friendly.

Wednesday, October 6th 2021 – Hockey: Ireland v Malaysia, 7:30 pm, Lisnagarvey HC – Friendly.

Thursday, October 7th 2021 – Cricket: Ireland v UAE 6:00 am, ICC Academy Ground.

Thursday, October 7th 2021 – Cricket: Ireland v Zimbabwe 9:30 am, Zimbabwe – One-Day International.

Friday, October 8th 2021 – Cricket: Ireland v UAE 6:00 am, ICC Academy Ground.

Friday, October 8th 2021 – Football: Shamrock Rovers v Derry City 7:45 pm, Tallaght Stadium – League of Ireland Premier Division.

Friday, October 8th 2021 – Rugby: Ulster v Benetton 7:35 pm, Kingspan Stadium – United Rugby Championship.

Friday, October 8th 2021 – Football: St Patrick’s Athletic v Bohemians, 7:45 pm, Richmond Park – League of Ireland Premier Division.

Saturday, October 9th 2021 – Cricket: Ireland v Zimbabwe 9:30 am, Zimbabwe – One-Day International.

Saturday, October 9th 2021 – Rugby: Leinster v Zebre 1:00 pm, RDS – United Rugby Championship.

Saturday, October 9th 2021 – Football: Azerbaijan v Republic of Ireland 5:00 pm, Baku Olympic Stadium – FIFA World Cup 2022 Qualifiers.

Saturday, October 9th 2021 – Rugby: Connacht v Dragons 5:15 pm, The Sportsground – United Rugby Championship.

Sunday, October 10th 2021 – Rugby: Scarlets v Munster 2:00 pm, Parc y Scarlets – United Rugby Championship.

Sunday, October 10th 2021 – Cricket: Ireland v UAE 6:00 am, ICC Academy Ground.

Monday, October 11th 2021 – Cricket: Ireland v Zimbabwe 9:30 am, Zimbabwe – One-Day International.

Tuesday, October 12th 2021 – Football: Republic of Ireland v Qatar 7:45 pm, Aviva Stadium – International Friendlies.

Friday, October 15th 2021 – Rugby: Ulster v Sigma Lions 7:35 pm, Kingspan Stadium – United Rugby Championship.

Friday, October 15th 2021 – Football: Bohemians v Dundalk 7:45 pm, Dalymount Park – League of Ireland Premier Division.

Friday, October 15th 2021 – Football: Shamrock Rovers v Sligo Rovers 7:45 pm, Tallaght Stadium – League of Ireland Premier Division.

Saturday, October 16th 2021 – Rugby: Leinster v Scarlets 5:15 pm, RDS – United Rugby Championship.

Saturday, October 16th 2021 – Rugby: Munster v Connacht 7:35 pm, Thomond Park – United Rugby Championship.

Monday, October 18th 2021 – Cricket: Ireland v Netherlands 11:00 am, Sheikh Zayed Stadium – ICC T20 World Cup.

Wednesday, October 20th 2021 – Cricket: Sri Lanka v Ireland 3:00 pm, Sheikh Zayed Stadium – ICC T20 World Cup.

Thursday, October 21st 2021 – Hockey: Ireland v Russia 4:00 pm, Sport Wales National Centre – 2023 FIH Hockey World Cup – European Qualifier.

Thursday, October 21st 2021 – Football: Republic of Ireland v Sweden 7:00 pm – FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 Qualifiers.

Friday, October 22nd 2021 – Cricket: Namibia v Ireland 11:00 am, Sheikh Zayed Stadium – ICC T20 World Cup.

Saturday, October 23rd 2021 – Rugby: Glasgow Warriors v Leinster 3:00 pm, Scotstoun – United Rugby Championship.

Saturday, October 23rd 2021 – Rugby: Connacht v Ulster 5:15 pm, The Sportground – United Rugby Championship.

Saturday, October 23rd 2021 – Rugby: Ospreys v Munster 7:35 pm, Liberty Stadium – United Rugby Championship.

Monday, October 25th 2021 – Football: St Patrick’s Athletic v Dundalk 7:45 pm, Richmond Park – League of Ireland Premier Division.

Monday, October 25th 2021 – Football: Finn Harps v Sligo Rovers 8:00 pm, Finn Park – League of Ireland Premier Division.

Tuesday, October 26th 2021 – Football: Finland v Republic of Ireland 4:15 pm – FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 Qualifiers.

Friday, October 29th 2021 – Football: Derry City v Bohemians 7:45 pm, Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium – League of Ireland Premier Division.

Friday, October 29th 2021 – Football: Shamrock Rovers v Finn Harps 8:00 pm, Tallaght Stadium – League of Ireland Premier Division.

Saturday, October 30th 2021 – Football: Sligo Rovers v Drogheda United 7:45 pm, The Showgrounds – League of Ireland Premier Division.

Leicester City continue poor form with loss to Legia Warsaw

Leicester City looked like a shell of the side that won the FA Cup and reached the UEFA Europa League last season as they suffered a 1-0 defeat in the Polish capital of Warsaw on Thursday night.

The loss to Polish Ekstraklasa champions Legia Warsaw, who currently sit 15th in their domestic league, only adds to a poor run of form Brendan Rodgers’ side have been experiencing lately.

The side were predictable and sluggish as they prodded around the pitch for 90 minutes, failing to overturn the deficit the hosts had given them half an hour into the match.

New signing Mahir Emreli got off the mark in the group stage after three goals in the qualifying rounds.

The Azerbaijani forward found himself with the ball on the edge of the Leicester box and shrugged off utility player Daniel Amartey to fashion a chance and fire home through centre-back Jannik Vestergaard’s legs.

This was only one example of Legia supremacy throughout the first half as the side looked dangerous and threatened the Leicester defence several times, with the 3-5-2 formation proving to be ineffective for the Foxes.

Luke Thomas, particularly, had a rough night at left wing-back and Caglar Soyuncu did not do a great job of cleaning up anything that got past Thomas on that side.

Ayoze Perez was the most positive player on the night for a side that looked down on their luck but he could not find a finishing touch.

That clinical ability in the final third was lacking, even though Legia goalkeeper Miszta looked beatable.

Rodgers brought Jamie Vardy and Ademola Lookman on to attempt to salvage the game but ended up without anything to show for it.

After their draw to Napoli at the King Power Stadium, the result puts Leicester into a tough spot in Europe as they sit bottom of their group, needing a win against Spartak Moscow to keep their European dream alive.

However, they may not be able to do so if they continue playing like they did on Thursday night.

Lineups

Legia Warsaw (3-5-1-1): Miszta – Jędrzejczyk, Wieteska, Nawrocki – Johansson, Slisz, Kharatin, Martins, Mladenović – Josue – Emreli.

Subs used: Abu Hanna, Kastrati, Lopes, Pekhart.

Leicester City (3-5-2): Schmeichel; Amartey, Soyuncu Vestergaard; Castagne, Soumaré, Tielemans, Dewsbury-Hall, Thomas; Perez, Daka.

Subs: Lookman, Barnes, Maddison, Vardy.

CFM Group to sponsor Basketball National League and National Cup

Irish Insurance company CFM Group has signed a three-year deal with Basketball Ireland to become a major sponsor across the National Leagues and National Cup.

The announcement was made at Thursday’s launch of the 2021/22 National League season at the National Basketball Arena.

The men’s Super League and Division One will now be known as the InsureMyVan.ie Super League and InsureMyVan.ie Division One.

The women’s Super League and Division One will be named the MissQuote.ie Super League and MissQuote.ie Division One.

Basketball Ireland’s prestigious National Cup is now called the InsureMyHouse.ie Cup at all levels of the game.

The agreement with CFM will also see the company support Ireland’s national teams, as they return to FIBA EuroBasket qualification in November.

InsureMyVan.ie is to become the lead sponsor of the men’s team and MissQuote.ie are a lead sponsor of the Ireland U20 women’s team and a supporting partner of the Irish senior women’s team.

Basketball Ireland’s Commercial Manager Conor Meany welcomed the new deal. “The timing of this announcement couldn’t be better, as we head back into competitive domestic basketball for the first time in 18 months.

“It is a major endorsement of what we believe is possible in the sport and it is fantastic to have found a company that shares that vision.

“CFM Group are on a similar trajectory to us and have been growing rapidly over the past decade.

“We’re looking forward to working alongside them to grow their suite of brands and our sport over the coming years.”

Jonathan Hehir M.D. of CFM Group said: “CFM Group with market-leading brands InsureMyVan.ie, MissQuote.ie and InsureMyHouse.ie are proud to partner with Basketball Ireland, to support the growth of the most popular indoor sport in the country.

“As an Irish company employing local staff, our success is built upon a young Irish team of fully trained insurance specialists, motivated to be the best in the sector, delivering high-quality low-cost insurance to our customers.

“We are delighted to embark on this basketball sponsorship covering the National League, National Cup and international teams, supporting young men and women participating across the length and breadth of the country.”

The National League returns next week after an 18-month absence due to Covid-19 – the first fixture of the season take place on Friday 8th October, with The Address UCC Glanmire hosting Team Garveys St. Mary’s in the Missquote.ie Super League.

DCU Mercy were the 2019/20 women’s Super League champions, their opening game is a home tie against WIT Waterford Wildcats, on October 10th.

Head coach Mark Ingle is itching to get back on the court: “We at DCU Mercy are really looking forward to the start of the women’s Super League on October 10th.

“It has been a long time trying to get back on the court, but onwards and upwards now for all involved.

“It should be a really exciting season, as I’d imagine all the players are hungry for the game as they have missed it.”

Defending men’s Super League champions Belfast Star also don’t play until Sunday 10th October, when they host UCD Marian at De La Salle College.

Head coach Adrian Fulton is eager to begin the defence of their Insuremyvan.ie Super League title: “We are very much looking forward to getting back to the cut and thrust of the league. It’s obviously nice to be going in as defending champions, but that really counts for very little at this stage.

“Most teams will have very different playing rosters, including ourselves, and I’m sure the league will be as closely contested as in the previous few seasons, with lots of teams in with a shot at the title.

“We hope that the fans will take the opportunity to come out and support their teams and create a great atmosphere, as they have done in previous years. From my perspective, we are definitely behind in our preparation.

“I hope we can be as competitive as possible in the opening month and will try to improve as the season develops.”

The draw for the InsureMyHouse.ie Cup takes place on Tuesday 5th October – Division One clubs will learn their opponents from 1 pm, with the draw streamed live from the National Basketball Arena on Basketball Ireland’s Facebook channel.

The draw for Super League sides is live from RTÉ studios and will be broadcast on ‘Game On’ on RTÉ 2fm from 6:30 pm.

Cage Warriors 127 – Preview, Full Card, Odds, Where To Watch

Cage Warriors

Cage Warriors 127 is the first event in the promotion’s fifth trilogy series and the card takes place on Thursday night.

Dominique Wooding and Nathan Fletcher will go to battle to crown a new bantamweight champion in the main event.

Wooding comes into the fight in patchy form, with two wins and two losses in his last four fights – both of those losses came by unanimous decision in his final Bellator fights.

However, Wooding has had a bright start to life at Cage Warriors, beating Cameron Hardy at Cage Warriors 124 to earn the opportunity to fight for the belt at 135 lbs.

The card will be held at the York Hall Leisure Centre in London and ‘Black Panther; will hope that the belt remains in the city after the fight.

Nathan Fletcher is the 25-year-old’s unbeaten opponent, with a 6-0 record to his name.

Fletcher is a known submission artist, choking out five of his six opponents on the road to the bantamweight title bout.

His performances as an amateur on the undercard of Cage Warriors events showcased this ability and on Thursday night, he will get to display them in the promotion’s biggest bantamweight fight of the year.

Nathan trains at Next Gen, the gym where UFC stars Molly McCann and Paddy Pimblett hail from, and he will be looking to follow in their footsteps and become a Cage Warriors champion.

In the co-main event, Kurban Khriziev and Josh Reed will meet in a catchweight bout after both men missed the mark of the originally agreed upon 135lbs.

However, they came to a gentleman’s agreement and the fight stays on the card as the third catchweight bout of the event.

Rory Evans and Weslley Maia agreed to a catchweight bout earlier this week and Adam Wilson and Kingsley Crawford will open the main card with one.

Irishman Ryan Shelley will kick-off the action at 8:15 pm when he faces Liam Molloy in his second professional MMA fight.

The main card will begin at 9 pm.

Cage Warriors 127 – Full Card

Main Event (Bantamweight title bout) – Nathan Fletcher (134.7 lbs) vs. Dom Wooding (134.8 lbs)
139 lbs Catchweight – Josh Reed (136.8 lbs) vs.  Kurban Khizriev (138.7 lbs)
139 lbs Catchweight – Rory Evans (137.9 lbs) vs. Weslley Maia (138.6 lbs)
Welterweight – Oban Elliott (169.6 lbs) vs. George McManus (171 lbs)
140 lbs Catchweight – Adam Wilson (138.5 lbs) vs. Kingsley Crawford (138.9 lbs)
Prelims
Bantamweight – Jack Clarke (132.7 lbs) vs. Bakhtyaar Oryakhail (134.5 lbs)
Featherweight – Liam Molloy (146 lbs) vs. Ryan Shelley (146 lbs)

Odds

Wooding 3/2 vs 1/2 Fletcher

Reed 3/2 vs 1/2 Khizriev

Evans 7/4 vs 4/9 Maia

Elliot 2/5 vs 2/1 McManus

Wilson 3/2 vs 1/2 Crawford

Clarke 2/1 vs 2/5 Oryakhail

Shelley Even vs Even Molloy

Where To Watch 

The full card will be available to watch on UFC Fight Pass which has a cost of €9.99 a month.

Legia Warsaw v Leicester City – Preview, Starting Teams, Odds, Where To Watch

Leicester City have travelled to Poland to take on Legia Warsaw in Group C of the UEFA Europa League on Thursday evening.

The home side leads the way in the group after a 1-0 victory over Spartak Moscow in the opening round.

Leicester, on the other hand, will be looking to leapfrog Legia with a win after a 2-2 draw against Luciano Spalletti’s Napoli.

However, Brendan Rodgers’ side will be without several key players for their upcoming European fixture against the Polish champions.

Northern Ireland centre-back Jonny Evans will not feature for the Fixes as he continues his recovery from a foot issue.

Defensive midfielder Wilfried Ndidi will be suspended for the clash after his late red card against Napoli.

It is expected that new signing Boubakary Soumaré will take the Nigerian’s place in the starting lineup against Legia.

Kelechi Iheanacho will also be unavailable for Leicester as he was unable to get past the Polish border control.

“We’ve had an issue with Kelechi,” Rodgers said to lcfc.com. “His documentation coming into the country wasn’t suffice, so unfortunately he isn’t available to play, which is a shame because he would have played in the game.

“He will be unavailable for the game. The paperwork didn’t allow him into the country. It’s unfortunate, but we’ll have to look into that when we get back.”

Legia’s injury doubts, Matthias Johansson and Luquinhas are expected to be in the squad as they trained this week.

Lineups

Legia Warsaw (3-5-1-1): Miszta – Jędrzejczyk, Wieteska, Nawrocki – Johansson, Slisz, Kharatin, Martins, Mladenović – Josue – Emreli.

Subs: Tobiasz, Holownia, Rose, Abu Hanna, Ribeiro, Skibicki, Celhaka, Kastrati, Muci, Lopes, Pekhart, Kostorz.

Leicester City (3-5-2): Schmeichel; Amartey, Soyuncu Vestergaard; Castagne, Soumaré, Tielemans, Dewsbury-Hall, Thomas; Perez, Daka.

Subs: Jakupović, Ward, Benković, Bertrand, Ricardo, Choudhury, Albrighton, Lookman, Barnes, Maddison, Vardy.

Odds

Legia Warsaw 5/1

Draw 10/3

Leicester City 1/2

Where To Watch

The game will kick-off at 5:45 pm and will be available to watch on BT Sport 2 – coverage starts at 5:15 pm.

Kenny names 26 man squad for upcoming games

Ireland national football team manager Stephen Kenny has officially released the squad that will face Azerbaijan and Qatar

The Ireland boss has named some surprises in the 26 man squad as well as handing out possible first senior caps to some players.

Captain Seamus Coleman will miss out on the matches due to a hamstring injury he sustained while playing for Everton. He has been replaced in the squad with young defender Nathan Collins who moved to Burnley this season but is yet to make an appearance.

Fulham defender Cyrus Christie is also named in the squad mainly due to the injury of West Brom centre half Dara O’Shea. Celtic’s Liam Scales was unlucky not to get a call up after recent showings in the Scottish Premiership.

Midfielders Jason Molumby and Alan Browne have also not been included in this November international’s squad.

Wigan Athletic striker Will Keane has received his first international call-up to Ireland having scored four goals in the opening nine matches of the League One season.

Ireland Men’s National Team 26 man squad

Goalkeepers: Gavin Bazunu (Portsmouth FC), Caoimhin Kelleher (Liverpool FC), Mark Travers (AFC Bournemouth)

Defenders: Matt Doherty (Tottenham Hotspur), Cyrus Christie (Fulham FC), Shane Duffy (Brighton & Hove Albion), John Egan (Sheffield United), Enda Stevens (Sheffield United), James McClean (Wigan Athletic), Ryan Manning (Swansea FC), Andrew Omabamidele (Norwich City), Nathan Collins (Burnley)

Midfielders: Conor Hourihane (Sheffield United), Josh Cullen (Anderlecht), Jeff Hendrick (Newcastle United), Jason Knight (Derby City), Jamie McGrath (St Mirren), Harry Arter (Charlton Athletic)

Forwards: Callum Robinson (West Bromich Albion), Aaron Connolly (Brighton & Hove Albion), James Collins (Cardiff City), Daryl Horgan (Wycombe Wanderers), Adam Idah (Norwich City), Troy Parrott (MK Dons), Will Keane (Wigan Athletic), Chiedozie Ogbene (Rotherham United)

Ireland will play Azerbaijan first in a World Cup qualifier. The match kicks of at 17:00 on Saturday 9th October in Tel Aviv.

They will then return home to play World Cup hosts Qatar in a friendly. That game starts at 19:45 on Tuesday 12th October.

To read more in-depth and up-to-date Ireland and international football news, click here.

Ireland Men’s Senior Squad Named For Malaysia Matches

Capped international hockey will make its long-awaited return to Ireland for the first time since 2019 with the senior men facing Malaysia next Tuesday, October 5 and Wednesday, October 6 in two matches at Lisnagarvey’s Comber Road venue.

The fixtures will form a key part of head coach Mark Tumilty’s preparation plans for their upcoming World Cup qualifiers in Cardiff from October 21 to 24.

Malaysia are the current world number 11 ranked side and offer 14th-ranked Ireland a suitably strong opponent in the lead-up to this crucial event.

The fixtures will be ticketed events with entry €12/£10 per game for over-12s while each adult can take up to four Under-12s in free of charge; a maximum of 500 tickets are currently available.

** TICKETS AVAILABLE HERE

To this end, coach Tumilty has named a 22-player panel since the EuroHockey Championships II in Poland in August with a number of experienced players returning to the line-up.

“I am delighted to have the fixtures against Malaysia as the final part of our preparation for the upcoming World Cup Qualifier,” said coach Tumilty. “We need to produce two high quality performances to give us confidence before we face Russia on October 21st in that vital World Cup qualifier game”.

Conor Harte’s return could potentially add to his 252 caps for the first time in almost two years, having made a strong start to the Belgian season with his new club KHC Dragons.

David Fitzgerald also returns, adding to the goalkeeping options. It is a competitive area of the field with Mark Ingram and Jamie Carr will also be in the mix on that front.

Carr, along with Luke Madeley, he missed out on pitch-time in Poland due to Covid-19 close contact protocols which meant both had to spend their week at the tournament in quarantine. As such, they will be itching to make their mark.

Lee Cole and Matthew Nelson will also be vying for a place in the World Cup qualifiers spot along with 14 of the panel that played in Poland last month.

There are also potential formal debuts for Sam Hyland – who was a travelling reserve for the Euros – and Conor Empey who has scored twice in the opening weeks of the Dutch Hoofdklasse since linking up with SCHC.

Not included for this series from the European panel are Ian Stewart, Ben Nelson and James Milliken who remain part of the wider training panel.

Malaysia – known as the Speedy Tigers – are coached by former Ireland assistant coach Arul Antoni, also well-known for his roles with Glenanne, Three Rock Rovers and Dublin University.

They are currently on a four-week tour encompassing challenge matches against four English club sides before playing Ireland and then rounding off the trip with games against Wales and France.

Ireland men’s squad to face Malaysia (October 5 and 6; Lisnagarvey Hockey Club): Jamie Carr (KHC Leuven, Belgium), David Fitzgerald (Monkstown), Lee Cole (Monkstown), Luke Madeley (KHC Leuven), Mark McNellis (Lisnagarvey), Conor Harte (KHC Dragons, Belgium), Peter McKibbin (Lisnagarvey), Kyle Marshall (Old Georgians, England), Shane O’Donoghue (Glenanne), Sean Murray (KHC Leuven), Michael Robson (Annadale), Kevin O’Dea (UCD), Daragh Walsh (KHC Leuven), Johnny McKee (Banbridge), Ben Walker (Braxgata, Belgium), Jeremey Duncan (Monkstown), Conor Empey (SCHC, Netherlands), Sam Hyland (YMCA), Mark Ingram (Pembroke), Tim Cross (Annadale), Neal Glassey (Crefelder HTC, Germany), Matthew Nelson (Lisnagarvey).

Leva Fifita in line for Connacht Debut

Leva Fifita in line for Connacht Debut

Leva Fifita is in line for his senior debut as Connacht welcome Vodacom Bulls to Sportsground as Connacht make three changes to their starting XV for tomorrow’s URC clash at home to the Vodacom Bulls with kick-off at 7.35 pm.

Jordan Duggan, Dave Heffernan and Abraham Papali’i are all drafted into the starting line-up, with Papali’i making his first appearance of the season.

Finlay Bealham joins Duggan and Heffernan in the front row, while the second row is unchanged with Oisin Dowling partnering Ultan Dillane.

Abraham Papali’i comes in at number 8, with captain Jarrad Butler moving to openside flanker and Cian Prendergast retaining his spot on the opposite flank.

The half-back partnership of Kieran Marmion and Jack Carty is unchanged, as is the centre pairing of Tom Daly and Tom Farrell.

Wingers Mack Hansen and John Porch and full-back Tiernan O’Halloran complete the back three.

Among the replacements is new signing Leva Fifita who is in line for his Connacht debut, and Irish international Caolin Blade who has returned from injury.

The Sportsground will operate at 50% capacity for this game.

Head Coach Andy Friend says:

“Last week’s result was disappointing but we as a coaching group saw enough to firmly believe we’re on the right track. If we can be more clinical at the crucial times I know we’ll be tough to beat whoever we face, so we hope to see more of that tomorrow against a very formidable Bulls outfit.

Bringing the likes of Papali’i and Fifita into our 23 gives us a lot of physicality, but we’ll need the throw the ball around a lot as well. With the Connacht supporters back behind us in full voice I know we can give them something to cheer about.”

CONNACHT RUGBY MATCHDAY 23 VS VODACOM BULLS

Friday 1st October, The Sportsground @ 19:35

Number/Name/Caps (* denotes uncapped)
15. Tiernan O’Halloran (191)
14. John Porch (41)
13. Tom Farrell (63)
12. Tom Daly (50)
11. Mack Hansen (1)
10. Jack Carty (160)
9. Kieran Marmion (188)
1. Jordan Duggan (14)
2. Dave Heffernan (145)
3. Finlay Bealham (160)
4. Oisin Dowling (8)
5. Ultan Dillane (115)
6. Cian Prendergast (11)
7. Jarrad Butler (74) (C)
8. Abraham Papali’i (14)

16. Shane Delahunt (101)
17. Matthew Burke (24)
18. Jack Aungier (14)
19. Leva Fifita *
20. Conor Oliver (21)
21. Caolin Blade (132)
22. Paul Boyle (58)
23. Sammy Arnold (17)

Leva Fifita in line for Connacht Debut
For more News and Stories on all things Rugby, click here.

All Blacks named for final Fortinet Rugby Championship Test

The All Blacks team has been named to play in the final Test match of the Fortinet Rugby Championship against South Africa at Cbus Super Stadium, Gold Coast, on Saturday, October 2 (Kick-off: 11:05 pm BST).

The starting forward pack remains unchanged from the original named last week, with Luke Jacobson returning to the number eight jersey, after his late withdrawal with illness last weekend.

Asafo Aumua comes in at reserve hooker and George Bower comes in for Karl Tu’inukuafe on the bench.

In the backs, Brad Weber will start at halfback with TJ Perenara on the bench, Anton Lienert-Brown returns from injury to the 13 jersey, with Rieko Ioane moving to the left wing and Sevu Reece named on the right.

First five-eighth Richie Mo’unga, who re-joined the team this week, is on the reserves bench alongside Damian McKenzie.

All Blacks Head Coach Ian Foster said the team was keen to finish the Fortinet Rugby Championship on a high.

“The energy levels are high in the team, it’s our fifth Test in a row, and we’re highly motivated ahead of another big Test against South Africa and the last Test of the Championship.

“We’ve achieved the Championship title, which we’re really proud to have achieved. The fact that we now have the chance to achieve a potential Grand Slam against our Southern Hemisphere opponents is pretty special. I’m excited by that and it has already given this weekend’s Test an edge.”

Foster said the All Blacks were looking for improvement in their game across the board this week.

“We learnt some lessons last week.  We didn’t look after the ball as well as we could have and some of our work at the ruck wasn’t as good as we wanted.  We have to lift our performance in that area and the team is keen to get that right this weekend.”

All Blacks Matchday 23 v South Africa

1. Joe Moody (53)
2. Codie Taylor (63)
3. Nepo Laulala (36)
4. Brodie Retallick (88)
5. Scott Barrett (47)
6. Akira Ioane (9)
7. Ardie Savea (55) – captain
8. Luke Jacobson (9)
9. Brad Weber (13)
10. Beauden Barrett (97)
11. Rieko Ioane (43)
12. David Havili (10)
13. Anton Lienert-Brown (52)
14. Sevu Reece (13)
15. Jordie Barrett (31)

16. Asafo Aumua (3)
17. George Bower. (7)
18. Ofa Tuungafasi (41)
19. Patrick Tuipulotu (40)
20. Ethan Blackadder (6)
21. TJ Perenara (74)
22. Richie Mo’unga (26)
23. Damian McKenzie (36)

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SportsNewsIreland is an Irish website launched in 2009 to offer sports fans in Ireland an alternative and independent source to keep them up to date with all the news from around the country. Every week we bring you live score updates from all levels of GAA, rugby, soccer, racing and athletics. Contact

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