Two Athlone men to line out in Heineken Cup

 

Athlone duo Robbie Henshaw and Jack Carty are included in Connacht's starting XV for the Heineken Cup clash with Zebre on Saturday (Kick off: 3.40pm)

It's Carty first start in the Heineken Cup and Connacht head coach Pat Lam said it represented a major boost in his rugby development.

The same all Irish qualified backline that started against Leinster is selected to face Zebre, with Kieran Marmion at scrumhalf, Jack Carty at outhalf, Eoin Griffin and Robbie Henshaw in midfield, and Matt Healy, Fionn Carr and Darragh Leader in the back three.

Speaking about the team selection and the upcoming game, Head Coach Pat Lam said:

'It's no secret that we were frustrated with the manner in which we lost the game last week. But as everyone saw, there were some positives from that game, including the encouraging performances from our young back line. We have decided to retain this selection for the game against Zebre - another huge challenge. This is Jack's first taste of Heineken Cup rugby and also a first start for young Darragh (Leader) in the competition. It's another big boost to their development as young Irish and Connacht-born players.

'It's fantastic to welcome back Jake (Heenan) and Sean (Henry) to the match day XV. It's a long season and the last numbers of games have been extremely physical, taking its toll on some of our players. We've had to plan without Craig (Clarke) this week but getting some players back from injury has meant we have the strength and depth to make the necessary changes.

 'There's a huge sense of anticipation around this game. We're still alive in Europe but we need to make sure we are focused this week and do everything we can to get a good win at home against Zebre. We are not underestimating them. They are a team that have been improving with every game and they deserved their win against Treviso last week. They'll be coming here full of confidence looking for their first ever win in the Heineken Cup.

Connacht lineup v Zebre

 

15.          Darragh Leader
14.          Fionn Carr
13.          Robbie Henshaw
12.          Eoin Griffin
11.          Matt Healy
10.          Jack Carty
9.            Kieran Marmion

 

1.            Brett Wilkinson
2.            Sean Henry
3.            Nathan White
4.            Mick Kearney
5.            Andrew Browne
6.            John Muldoon(captain)
7.            Jake Heenan
8.            Eoin McKeon

Replacements: 

16. Jason Harris-Wright
17. Denis Buckley
18. Rodney Ah You
19. Michael Swift
20. George Naoupu
21. Paul O'Donohoe
22. Dan Parks
23. Gavin Duffy