One change for London Irish

London Irish have made one change from last weekend bringing in hooker James Buckland for a crucial European Challenge Cup round two fixture with Connacht Rugby at The Sportsground on Friday evening at 7pm.

"Last Saturday we showed how serious we are about the Challenge Cup and how we want to compete in it," said Toby Booth, London Irish Head Coach.

"The players finished strong and clinically in the match with Rovigo and that shows how determined they are to do well in the tournament.

"It’s a case of taking one step at a time and if we’re good enough, we’ll put ourselves in a position to realise our objective for this competition come the final stage of the season.

"Connacht also had the perfect start in the tournament last weekend - we know how difficult it is to win away in France.

"Any team coached by Michael Bradley will provide a tough challenge, especially at home. We had great contests during our pre-season visits to the Sportsground a few years ago so we anticipate another testing match tomorrow," he added.

LONDON IRISH (v Connacht):

15. Delon Armitage; 14. Topsy Ojo; 13. Elvis Seveali’i; 12. Seilala Mapusua; 11. Sailosi Tagicakibau; 10. Peter Hewat; 9. Paul Hodgson; 1. Alex Corbisiero; 2. James Buckland, 3. Tonga Lea’aetoa 4. Nick Kennedy; 5. Bob Casey (capt); 6. Richard Thorpe; 7. Steffon Armitage; 8. Chris Hala’Ufia.

Replacements: 16. Clarke Dermody*; 17. David Paice*; 18. Faan Rautenbach*; 19. Gary Johnson; 20. Declan Danaher; 21. Peter Richards* or Tom Parker; 22. Shane Geraghty*.