CONNACHT HAVE RESHUFFLED their half-backs for tomorrow’s meeting with Dragons at Dexcom Stadium (TG4).

Experienced duo Caolin Blade and Jack Carty start at scrum-half and out-half respectively, while Cathal Forde partners Bundee Aki at centre.

Peter Dooley and Dylan Tierney-Martin earn their first starts of the season in the front row, with Eoin de Buitléar and Matthew Devine set for their first provincial appearances of the campaign from the bench.

“This is another very important game in the context of our overall season,” said Connacht head coach Pete Wilkins. “We were disappointed not to get anything from last week, but this Dragons encounter provides us with an opportunity to bounce back with a determined and high-energy performance.

“Dragons are a seriously competitive side – abrasive at the contact zone, a well-drilled forward pack, and a very smart kicking game – so it’s up to us to match them physically and then attempt to impose our game on them. If we continue to demonstrate the growth of recent weeks and perform to our potential, we can head into the URC break with a lot of positivity.”

Connacht

15. Piers O’Conor
14. Shayne Bolton
13. Cathal Forde
12. Bundee Aki
11. Santiago Cordero
10. Jack Carty
9. Caolin Blade

1. Peter Dooley
2. Dylan Tierney-Martin
3. Finlay Bealham
4. Joe Joyce
5. Niall Murray
6. Cian Prendergast
7. Sean O’Brien
8. Paul Boyle

Replacements: 16. Eoin de Buitléar, 17. Denis Buckley, 18. Jack Aungier, 19. Darragh Murray, 20. Sean Jansen, 21. Matthew Devine, 22. Josh Ioane, 23. Hugh Gavin.