Connacht Name Strong Side for Pre-Season Clash with Sale

Connacht Rugby have announced their matchday squad for Friday night’s pre-season friendly against Sale Sharks at the Corpacq Stadium (kick-off 7:30pm), with a number of intriguing selections catching the eye.

Following a convincing win in last week’s behind-closed-doors friendly in Bristol, the coaching team have opted for a number of changes to ensure maximum playing opportunities for the group ahead of the new season.

The headline move sees Seán Naughton start at full-back for the second week in a row. The Academy player impressed against Bristol, and with limited depth at fifteen, this is another valuable opportunity to show his potential. Three more Academy players – Sean Walsh, Daniel Ryan and Matthew Victory – are named among the replacements.

Cian Prendergast captains the side and is joined by several Irish internationals returning to the starting XV after sitting out last week’s fixture. Jack Aungier, Darragh Murray and Shayne Bolton all start, while promising forward Ben Murphy is named on the bench.

At half-back, Jack Carty gets his first start of the season alongside skipper Caolin Blade. With Josh Ioane also in the squad, there’s growing optimism that Connacht could have a very effective playmaking duo to lean on throughout the campaign.

Another player under the spotlight is hooker Dylan Tierney-Martin (DTM). He has the ability to push on again this season, and with outside rumours of an NIQ hooker signing now appearing premature, this could be a defining year for him.

Elsewhere, David Hawkshaw and Cathal Forde form a physical midfield pairing, while Shayne Bolton provides real strike power out wide. In the pack, Denis Buckley, Jack Aungier and Tierney-Martin form the front row, with Josh Murphy and Darragh Murray combining in the engine room. The back row of Prendergast, Sean O’Brien and Sean Jansen provides balance and power.

Connacht XV to Face Sale Sharks

• 15. Seán Naughton
• 14. Chay Mullins
• 13. David Hawkshaw
• 12. Cathal Forde
• 11. Shayne Bolton
• 10. Jack Carty
• 9. Caolin Blade (C)
• 1. Denis Buckley
• 2. Dylan Tierney-Martin
• 3. Jack Aungier
• 4. Darragh Murray
• 5. Josh Murphy
• 6. Cian Prendergast (C)
• 7. Sean O’Brien
• 8. Sean Jansen

Replacements from: Eoin de Buitléar, Jordan Duggan, Sam Illo, Niall Murray, David O’Connor, Paul Boyle, Shamus Hurley-Langton, Ben Murphy, Josh Ioane, Sean Walsh, Byron Ralston, Shane Jennings, Colm Reilly, Daniel Ryan, Matthew Victory.

Sale Sharks XV vs Connacht Rugby

Alex Sanderson has picked a mix of youth and experience – plus one debutant – for Your Sharks’ pre-season friendly against Connacht Rugby at Heywood Road on Friday night.

Summer recruit Jacques Vermeulen starts against the URC side in a back row packed with power, while England u20s star Ollie Davies starts in the number ten shirt.

Sharks’ England and Lions stars are missing from the team having returned to training late, meaning the ever-present Rob du Preez captains the side from outside centre.

Friday 5 September, 7:30pm — Heywood Road

15. Tom Curtis

14. Tom O’Flaherty

13. Rob du Preez (C)

12. Rekeiti Ma’asi-White

11. Obi Ene

10. Ollie Davies

9. Raffi Quirke

1. Simon McIntyre

2. Tadgh McElroy

3. James Harper

4. Ben Bamber

5. Hyron Andrews

6. Jacques Vermeulen

7. Tristan Woodman

8. Sam Dugdale

Replacements: Ethan Caine, Tumy Onasanya, Patreece Bell, Patrick Hogg, Jos Gilmore, Frank Chatterton, Dom Hanson, Nye Thomas, Toby Wilson, Sam Bedlow, Joe Bedlow, Albert Bradshaw.

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Jack O’Donoghue captains the side with Greencore Munster Rugby Academy back-row and Ireland U20 captain Alex Kendellen starting at no.8.

Mike Haley is named at full-back with Calvin Nash and Matt Gallagher completing the back three.

Rory Scannell and Dan Goggin start in midfield with a half-back pairing of Rowan Osborne and Ben Healy.

Jeremy Loughman, Niall Scannell and Keynan Knox pack down in the front row with Jean Kleyn and Thomas Ahern in the engine room.

O’Donoghue, Chris Cloete and Kendellen complete the starting XV.

An extended replacements bench includes Academy quartet Mark Donnelly, Cian Hurley, Paddy Kelly and Paddy Patterson.

Speaking ahead of the game, Munster Head Coach Johann van Graan said: “There’s real excitement to have a game like this ahead of us, playing a quality opposition such as Exeter Chiefs on their home turf in front of supporters.

“We are very much treating this as another step in our pre-season preparations, building towards our United Rugby Championship season kicking off.

“We’ve a good mix across the squad and for the younger guys, this is going to be their first time playing at this level in front of a big crowd.

“With a group of 31 players, we’ll be making plenty of changes as we look to get as many guys game-time as possible.”

Munster: Mike Haley; Calvin Nash, Dan Goggin, Rory Scannell, Matt Gallagher; Ben Healy, Rowan Osborne; Jeremy Loughman, Niall Scannell, Keynan Knox; Jean Kleyn, Thomas Ahern; Jack O’Donoghue (C), Chris Cloete, Alex Kendellen.

Replacements from: Diarmuid Barron, Liam O’Connor, Josh Wycherley, Roman Salanoa, Mark Donnelly, Cian Hurley, Jack O’Sullivan, Paddy Kelly, Jack Daly, Neil Cronin, Paddy Patterson, Jack Crowley, Jake Flannery, Liam Coombes, Alex McHenry, Seán French.

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The eagerly-anticipated clash against the five-time Premiership and three-time Heineken Champions Cup winners will be played in front of the largest crowd at the home of Ulster Rugby since the February 2020 win over Toyota Cheetahs.

All of those in attendance will have to have Ulster season tickets for the upcoming 2021/22 season – no individual tickets for the match will be on sale.

There will be no enforced social distancing for the fixture so season ticket holders will be able to sit in their own seat or stand on their allocated terrace for the match.

However, each terrace will operate to 30% of normal capacity to provide some social distancing in busy areas.

Furthermore, a socially distanced area will be available as an option for those who would like to socially distance themselves.

A section of the AbbeyAutoline Family Stand will be held for those who would prefer to sit in a socially distanced area.

The food village will be in operation for the game but no stadium bars will be open, except for table service in hospitality.

If you wish to become a season ticket holder ahead of the clash, there will be two priority windows in advance of this fixture for people to secure their season tickets.

2020/21 #TogetherUlster Members will have access to a Season Ticket priority window from 10 am on Tuesday 24 August until 10 am on Wednesday 25 August.

Those who have signed up to the Season Ticket waiting list before 5 pm on Tuesday 24 August will have access to a priority window from 10 am on Wednesday 25 August until 5 pm on Tuesday 31 August.

Both of these groups will be emailed their exclusive priority booking link at the time the respective windows open.

Ulster Rugby will have measures in place for the fixture in order to ensure a safe return of supporters.

Staggered entry and exit times will be utilised to avoid queueing and congestion.

Digital tickets will be accepted to provide contactless and secure entry through the turnstiles.

An alternative option to print your match tickets at home is also available.

There will be enhanced cleaning to disinfect busy areas pre and post-match and automated hand sanitising units have been fitted to turnstiles and stands.

Face coverings must be worn when moving around the stadium and in any indoor areas – the latter areas will have increased ventilation.

Numbers entering toilets will be controlled by stewards and one-way systems will be in operation where possible.

Ulster Rugby would also advise that anyone attending the fixture should test themselves using Rapid COVID-19 tests before they attend, and on days 2 and 8 after the event, in order to identify any positive cases and allow them to self-isolate.

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The 20-year-old suffered a concussion in the club’s final pre-season game against Osasuna on Monday.

Jones was taken off during the first half of the pre-season friendly against CA Osasuna following a collision.

Klopp told the club’s website: “He had a slight concussion so we just have to follow the protocol. He is fine, he feels fine again, but that’s the protocol.

“He is available for training from Sunday on I think.”

The Scouse prospect made four appearances in pre-season for Liverpool but may not have made the starting eleven against Norwich due to the depth the side has in midfield.

Andy Robertson has also been ruled out of Liverpool’s season opener at Carrow Road after sustaining ligament damage against Athletic Bilbao on Sunday.

Robertson was taken off at half-time after picking up an injury and was replaced by the great-nephew of Ian Rush, Owen Beck, for the second half.

The Scotsman landed awkwardly after making a block towards the end of the first half and stayed on the ground.

He was treated on the field before finishing the half and did not need a stretcher to leave the pitch, instead of being helped off by the physios.

Kostas Tsimikas took Robertson’s place for Liverpool’s final pre-season match against Osasuna on Monday night.

It is expected that the Greek full-back will step in for Robertson in competitive fixtures in his absence.

Tsimikas only made seven appearances for Liverpool in his debut season in England as a result of early-season injury problems and Robertson’s ever-presence in the squad.

However, the 25-year-old has had an impressive pre-season this summer and will look to carry over his form into the new season and get more appearances for the club that signed him last summer.

Klopp was able to report Liverpool have no other fresh injury concerns three days out from the beginning of the 2021-22 campaign.

“No, not from an injury point of view,” said the boss when asked for any new squad updates.

“But yeah, a few players had a shorter pre-season than others. No, all the others are healthy.”

Liverpool will kick off their season at 5:30 pm on Saturday, August 14th when they travel to Norwich.

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This news comes after issues with the system caused both games’ kick-offs to be delayed so fans could get into the stadium before the match started.

The changes Liverpool have implemented are encouraged by the Premier league and promote a contactless approach to increase safety at football stadiums.

Phil Dutton, vice-president of ticketing and hospitality at LFC, said: “These new stadium entry processes significantly change the matchday operation for supporters and staff so we wanted to have an opportunity to test those processes in order to refine and improve them going forward.

“As well as the obvious football reasons, that was the purpose of holding two friendlies held in little over 24 hours at which we were able to trial the new processes with a reduced capacity to see how they worked. The most significant outcome is that the technology in general works but other issues became apparent, resulting in supporter entry rates being slower than usual.

“All supporters got into the stadium safely but it did take longer than expected. There were huge improvements from the first game to the second game as a result of learnings in between the two fixtures. This, coupled with a better understanding of the system, saw entry rates increase significantly, albeit with a need for further improvements to be made.

“We will now do a full review of the process and gather data to identify those areas where access processes fell below our required standard. Importantly, we will work with supporters and matchday staff to fully understand the issues and identify opportunities for improvements.

“We will also continue to seek feedback from fan forum members who attended the friendlies this week and also from Spirit of Shankly, the supporters trust. I must say that all fans who attended the games have been brilliant and we must thank them for their patience and understanding with the new entry processes. We know it has been frustrating for many but, on both nights, our supporters have been fantastic and we couldn’t have asked any more of them.”

Following the full review of the new entry process and the fan forum, the club will update supporters on any further changes ahead of the Premier League home fixture against Burnley on Saturday August 21.

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The sides had to wait to get going as the ticketing system at Anfield was once again causing problems for fans looking to get in, despite the club offering advice on how to avoid such a problem.

The game was played in tribute to former Liverpool and Osasuna player Michael Robinson, who passed away last year.

Robinson spent one season with the Reds, winning the European Cup in 1984, and finished his career in Pamplona.

Osasuna failed to find the target with some early chances as Liverpool got into the feel of things with a sumptuous long-ball from new signing Ibrahima Konate to Takumi Minamino almost leading to the game’s opener.

Minamino put his team ahead moments later via a deflection and Liverpool never let go of their lead.

Kaide Gordon had a chance to double it but missed and was deemed to be in an offside position.

Bobby Firmino did what Gordon could not do after a fantastic cross from left-back Kostas Tsimikas found the Brazilian in clean air.

Curtis Jones was taken off after receiving a knee to the head and was replaced by Ben Woodburn who showed flashes of brilliance throughout the match.

More Liverpool pressure paid off closer to half-time when Bobby added a third and a second of his own to put the tie to bed before the half ended.

Minamino created the goal and looked bright in front of fans ahead of the new season.

Tsimikas did not last the full game, being withdrawn to avoid any injury after being on the receiving end of some rough tackles.

The second-half was less action-packed overall but Osasuna did manage to grab a goal through Kike.

Ben Davies and Jordan Henderson got minutes in front of the fans but the scoreline did not change again and Liverpool as out an impressive win in their final pre-season game.

All eyes are now fixated on the league opener against Norwich on Saturday at 5:30 pm.

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After fans could not get into Anfield before the original kick-off time, the fixture was delayed twice until they took their seats.

The club is asking those attending to download their NFC pass, get in early with incentives to push this, and print out multiple tickets if you are going to the game with someone to improve the speed at turnstiles.

In a statement on their site, Liverpool said: “We would like to thank everyone who attended the first pre-season home game yesterday against Athletic Club for their patience and understanding while accessing Anfield.

“With a number of changes having been made to the way fans can now use their tickets at the turnstiles, these pre-season games have been a trial to test the new NFC technology and the new entry system at Anfield.

“Some issues were identified while fans were entering the stadium yesterday and following a full review and debrief of the process, improvements and key learnings have been made ahead of tonight’s match.

“Turnstiles will open at 4 pm today and we are encouraging supporters to arrive early. Kids who enter the stadium before 6 pm can receive free soft drinks as a thank-you.

“Supporters are also asked to ensure they are fully prepared when they come to the turnstiles, making sure that they have downloaded their NFC pass to their phone and are ready to scan their tickets when reaching the turnstile.

“We are strongly encouraging families and groups, where possible, to print their e-tickets off at home, so phones do not have to be passed back and forth to get groups through the same turnstiles, this will speed up the entry process.

“We look forward to welcoming more fans back to Anfield and thank you for your continued support and understanding.”

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