Wilkinson part of extended Connacht squad

Bret Wilkinson, who suffered a grade 3 hamstring tear in pre-season training, has been named in Eric Elwood’s extended 26-man squad to face the Scarlets on Saturday afternoon.

Fellow prop Stewart Maguire has also recovered from injury to take his place amongst the 15 chosen forwards.

Aside from the two props the selected squad remains largely unchanged from last weekend when Connacht beat Benetton Treviso in the opening round of the RaboDirectPRO12.

Having endured a tough battle back to fitness Wilkinson is raring to get involved in what is sure to be a memorable season for Connacht.

"It's been a long hard slog to get back up to full fitness,” he said.

“In the gym at 7.30am every morning doing rehab and working with the physios to build up the muscles around the hamstring and regain the strength in the leg, but it's been worth it.

"The recovery has gone really well and I've been back training for the last three weeks.

“I feel the time is right for me to make my comeback.

“It's great to be able to put your hand up for selection and stake a claim for a spot on the team."

CONNACHT Squad (v Scarlets) - Backs (11): Duffy, Fa'afili, Griffin, Jarvis, Loxton, McCrea, Murphy, O'Connor, O'Donohoe, O'Halloran, Tuohy.

Forwards (15): Ah You, Anderson, Buckley, Flavin, Loughney, Maguire, McCarthy, Muldoon, Naoupu, O'Connor, Ofisa, Rogers, Reynecke, Swift, Wilkinson.