Elwood names six new Connacht caps

A NEW-LOOK Connacht kick off their first Heineken Cup season this evening (5.30pm) in Athlone’s Dubarry Park with a friendly against English premiership outfit Exeter Chiefs.

Six new caps have been included in Eric Elwood’s starting XV and, having lost last season’s key marksmen such as Ian Keatley, Fionn Carr, and Sean Cronin, the new signings are players Elwood will hope can play a major part in this first Heineken Cup campaign.

Elwood said: “There is also an extended bench including some academy players, so there will be plenty of opportunity for supporters to see some of the new faces in the squad. This is the players’ chance to show the coaches what they can do and to stake a claim for a jersey. ”

CONNACHT: T O’Halloran, M McCrea*, E Griffin, H Fa’amili*, B Tuohy, N O’Connor*, P O’Donohoe*, D Rogers, E Reynecke*, R Ah You, M Swift, D Nolan, TJ Anderson*, R Ofisa, G Naoupu.

Replacements: A Flavin, D Murphy, D Buckley, F Bealham, M Kearney, J Muldoon, E McKeon, D Heffernan, F Murphy, D Moore, M Jarvis, J Loxton, D McSharry. * denotes new caps.