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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The encounter was a showcase of end-to-end rugby, with both teams exchanging blows throughout. Bristol’s clinical attack saw them secure a hard-fought win, but Connacht demonstrated immense resilience, keeping the contest alive until the dying moments. The second half wasn’t as intense due to all the substitutions.

First Half: Electric Start, Momentum Shifts

Bristol wasted no time getting on the scoreboard, with James Williams crossing for an early try just two minutes in, converted by AJ MacGinty. Connacht responded swiftly with Andrew Smith charging over the whitewash in the 5th minute, with Josh Ioane adding the extras to level the game. Smith, a standout performer for Connacht, added his second try in the 21st minute, showcasing his blistering pace and eye for the try line.

Bristol’s Harry Randall was instrumental in the first half, punishing Connacht with a sharp interception and a cheeky dummy to bag two tries in quick succession (18’ and 27’). Ioane, however, kept Connacht in touch with a flawless kicking display, converting all of Connacht’s first-half tries, including a late try from Niall Murray after a period of sustained pressure.

At halftime, the scoreboard read **Bristol Bears 24-21 Connacht**, with both teams evenly matched in what was shaping up to be a high-scoring affair.

Second Half: Substitutions and Drama

The second half began with both teams rotating their lineups, bringing on fresh legs and nearly fielding completely different sides. Bristol capitalised first as Benhard Janse van Rensburg sliced through Connacht’s defense to score their fifth try of the evening in the 51st minute, with MacGinty converting to extend their lead to 31-21.

"Pre-season has been brilliant and we've had four good wins. That was the toughest game so far and we're ready to go for @premrugby now."

Hear from DOR Pat Lam after today's pre-season victory over Connacht at the HPC pic.twitter.com/9x9Warzzpu

— Bristol Bears (@BristolBears) September 13, 2024

Connacht, undeterred, responded with Fiachna Barrett crashing over in the 68th minute following a long spell of pressure, narrowing the gap to just three points after Ioane added the conversion. Moments later, Connacht seized the lead for the first time in the match when another try scored by Paul Boyle was converted, taking them ahead 35-31 with just seven minutes remaining.

However, Bristol had the final say. Rich Lane darted over for a try in the 75th minute, and the successful conversion restored the Bears’ advantage at 38-35. Despite late efforts, Connacht couldn’t muster another score, and the match concluded with Bristol narrowly coming out on top.

Final Thoughts: Promising Signs for Connacht

Despite the loss, Connacht will take plenty of positives from the performance, particularly their fighting spirit and attacking prowess. Andrew Smith was electric, and Josh Ioane’s accuracy with the boot was flawless throughout. But most importantly it seen the comeback of Mack Hansen who had been out injured since January. With the URC season opener against Munster next weekend, Connacht will look to fine-tune their defense and build on the strong attacking foundations laid in this preseason encounter.

Match Scorers:

**Bristol Bears:**
– **James Williams** (Try, 2’)
– **Harry Randall** (Tries, 18’, 27’)
– **Harry Thacker** (Try, 33’)
– **Benhard Janse van Rensburg** (Try, 51’)
– **Rich Lane** (Try, 75’)
– **AJ MacGinty** (Conversions, 2’, 18’, 51’, )

**Connacht Rugby:**
– **Andrew Smith** (Tries, 5’, 21’)
– **Niall Murray** (Try, 36’)
– **Fiachna Barrett** (Try, 68’)
– ** Paul Boyle** (Try, 72)
– **Conversions** – Josh Ioane (5’, 21’, 36’, ?, ?

**Starting XV**
(15-9): Mack Hansen, Shane Jennings, Piers O’Conor, Hugh Gavin, Andrew Smith, Josh Ioane, Caolin Blade
(1-8): Peter Dooley, Dave Heffernan, Sam Illo, Oisin Dowling, Niall Murray, Josh Murphy, Shamus Hurley-Langton, Cian Prendergast (C)

**Replacements**:
Denis Buckley, Eoin de Buitlear, Fiachna Barrett, Darragh Murray, David O’Connor, Paul Boyle, Conor Oliver, Sean Jansen, Ben Murphy, Sean Naughton, David Hawkshaw, Byron Ralston, Finn Treacy

Connacht’s focus now shifts to the highly anticipated clash with Munster, as they kick off the new URC season next weekend.

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