Elwood has Scots in his sights

 Dara Bradley

CONNACHT hooker Adrian Flavin will earn his 139th cap tonight (Friday), on the same week he announced his intention to retire from the game after seven seasons’ service with the province. Flavin has been named alongside Brett Wilkinson and Ronan Loughney in the front-row that faces Edinburgh at Murrayfield at 7.30pm.

The only change to the starting XV announced to face Benetton Treviso in the last round is the return from injury of lock Michael Swift. Connacht’s highest capped player who missed out on the previous two games will join Ireland international Mike McCarthy in the second row.

In a reshuffled back-row, Mick Kearney moves to number 6 and John Muldoon, who earns his 195th Connacht cap tomorrow, is named at number 7.

A plethora of players were unavailable for selection due to injury including Denis Buckley, Willie Faloon, Eoghan Grace, Jason Harris-Wright, Eoin McKeon, Dave McSharry, Frank Murphy, Dave Nolan, Kyle Tonetti, Nathan White.

Forward cavalry on the bench include props Rodney Ah You and JP Cooney, and flanker Mata Fifita, who all featured for the Connacht Eagles in last Saturday's challenge game against Russian side Enisei STM. Ah You and Fifita both touched down for tries.

It will be fairly crowded in Connacht’s management box at Murrayfield as Connacht’s new coach for next season, Samoan Pat Lam, ‘shadows’ the current boss Eric Elwood for the remaining four fixtures, starting with tonight’s game.

Elwood, who will hardly need Lam’s advice, came out with ‘fighting talk’ this week urging his charges to push for a best ever finish – to eclipse last season’s eighth place finish – which is still very much in the team’s grasp.

For more, read this week's Galway City Tribune.