Connacht make changes for Ospreys tie

Connacht coach Michael Bradley has made eight changes for Friday’s clash with the Ospreys at the Regional Rugby Stadium (7.10pm).

Joe Merrigan and John Hearty will both make their first competitive starts for the province and in all there are five personnel and three positional changes from the side that lost to Ulster last weekend.

Up front, Merrigan replaces John Fogarty at hooker, while in the back row John Muldoon moves to eight and Michael Swift and Brendan O’Connor come in for Matt Lacey and Colm Rigney. In the backline, Hearty starts at outside centre, while Conor O’Loughlin will start at scrum half. Darren Yapp moves to the wing and Keith Matthews moves to first centre.

CONNACHT: M Mostyn, C McPhillips, J Hearty, K Matthews, D Yapp, P Warwick, C O’Loughlin; R Hogan, J Merrigan, S Knoop, C Short, A Farley (c), M Swift, B O’Connor, J Muldoon.

Replacement: J Fogarty, R Loughney, C Rigney, M Lacey, C Keane, J Downey, T Robinson.