Aironi v Connacht sat 4.30pm (EIRE time) stadio zafanella

seanin4711

Need to push on and this game hopefully won't be ou4 third loss in Italy this season.
Third time lucky!
Aironi are improving every game so we need to be on our toes for thus one for the full eighty!
Not on the box as usual so gbfm will be there with Rob Murphy.
gwan connacht

Robbo

Probable lineup from the Advertiser:

Connacht v Aironi (possible): G Duffy, B Tuohy, N Ta'auso, T Nathan, F Carr, I Keatley, F Murphy, B Wilkinson, S Cronin, J Hagan, M Swift, M McCarthy, A Browne, J O'Connor (cpt), R Ofisa. Replacements, A Flavin, R Loughney, R Ah You, B Upton, J Muldoon, C Willis, K Matthews, S Monaghan.

It's been a long time since Troy's covered outhalf, 2-3 years maybe? I'd say Muldoon will be deployed in the second half on a mission.

fatguy2k1

Remember that it's on 4:30pm our time if your 'watching' the match on the facebook page/GBFM

Will someone change the thread title with the correct gametime? Wouldn't want anyone to miss it.

This is an important game for Connacht. Would take a 2 point win, but would love a bonus point!

thomond2006

All taken from Planet Rugby: http://www.planetrugby.com/story/0,25883,3551_6834084,00.html

Connacht have made one change to their starting line-up that will face Aironi in Italy this Saturday, as Sean Cronin returns to the side at hooker.

The Limerick native has 44 Magners League caps for Connacht in his three seasons and appeared in all of Ireland's Six Nations matches, bringing his total number of international caps to 12.

Mike McCarthy continues his partnership with Michael Swift in the second-row. McCarthy recently signed a new two-year deal and the 29-year-old's superb form this season saw him called into the Irish squad and earning his first cap for the Ireland Wolfhounds against the English Saxons.

Miah Nikora's knee injury ruled him out and his place is taken by Shane Monahan on the bench in the only other change to the matchday 23.

The teams met for the first time two weeks ago, when Connacht took the win 11-6 under the snow. This time could be different, with expected temperature over 20°C in Viadana.

Aironi's starting XV will also look different with Giulio Rubini back in the starting line-up at full-back, in a position he played for Rugby Parma in the Italian Super 10 in the last years and also for Italy when he made his international debut during 2009 Six Nations.

James Marshall, who started at full-back in the last two games, returns at fly-half.

Coach Rowland Phillips bet again on a couple of speedy wings with Kaine Robertson and Danwel Demas, while Matteo Pratichetti and Gabriel Pizarro play in the centre.

There is just one change in the pack to the team that played in Galway, with Fabio Staibano returning at tighthead prop. The only international returning from the Six Nations in the 23-man list is Pablo Canavosio, who will start amongst the replacements.

Form: Aironi gained their 6th losing bonus point of the season when they visited Connacht two weeks ago. Connacht's only defeat in their last seven matches in all competitions was 18-33 at Ospreys on 27 February. The Irishmen have lost on both their visits to Italy so far this season: 21-23 at Prato in the Amlin Challenge Cup and 17-24 in Treviso in the Magners League on 30 October. The two teams have met just once before with Connacht triumphing 11-6 at the Sportsground on 11 March.

Aironi:
15 Giulio Rubini, 14 Kaine Robertson, 13 Matteo Pratichetti, 12 Gabriel Pizarro, 11 Danwel Demas, 10 James Marshall, 9 Tito Tebaldi,
8 Nick Williams, 7 Gareth Krause, 6 Josh Sole, 5 Marco Bortolami (capt), 4 Joshua Furno, 3 Fabio Staibano, 2 Roberto Santamaria, 1 Alberto De Marchi.

Replacements: 16 Fabio Ongaro, 17 Andrea De Marchi, 18 Luca Redolfini, 19 George Biagi, 20 Nicola Cattina, 21 Pablo Canavosio, 22 Riccardo Bocchino, 23 Horacio San Martin.

Connacht:
15 Gavin Duffy, 14 Brian Tuohy, 13 Niva Ta'auso, 12 Troy Nathan, 11 Fionn Carr, 10 Ian Keatley, 9 Frank Murphy,
8 Ray Ofisa, 7 Johnny O'Connor (capt), 6 Andrew Browne, 5 Mike McCarthy, 4 Michael Swift, 3 Jamie Hagan, 2 Sean Cronin, 1 Brett Wilkinson.

Replacements: 16 Adrian Flavin, 17 Ronan Loughney, 18 Rodney Ah You, 19 Bernie Upton, 20 John Muldoon, 21 Cillian Willis, 22 Keith Matthews, 23 Shane Monahan.

Date: Saturday, March 26
Kick-off: 17:30 (16:30 GMT)
Venue: Stadio Zaffanella
Referee: Neil Hennessy (WRU)
Assistant Referees: Giulio de Santis, Claudio Castagnoli (both FIR)

This isn't being televised?

edit: not to me anyway, its TG4. Hopefully will be able to find a stream tomorrow so.

CIARAN_BOYLE

Deleted User wrote: »

This isn't being televised?

edit: not to me anyway, its TG4. Hopefully will be able to find a stream tomorrow so.

Unfortunately the group that broadcast games in Italy has gone bankrupt. No games in Italy will be broadcast for the rest of the season.

Ah, but I found this ...

which seems to suggest that TG4 will be broadcasting it somehow or other.

porterbelly

Deleted User wrote: »

Ah, but I found this ...

which seems to suggest that TG4 will be broadcasting it somehow or other.

Don't think that's happening now.

I'd say the best we can hope for is Rob Murphy on GBFM or failing that, updates on Knockon.ie a la the Leinster A game or updates on the Facebook page.

PhatPiggins

I fancy Aironi in this one. Connacht have been getting slghtly worse every week and Aironi are begining to gel as a team finally.

CouchSmart

An upset could be on the cards. Aironi are over due a win and with the internationals coming back into the mix after beating the French confidence will be high. Aironi are favourites and rightly so in my mind. Real pity if it doesn't make it onto tv as it should be a good game.

Robbo

****e, Kaine Robertson scored an intercept try.

thomond2006

7-3 Keatley pen.

Robbo

Nightmare, another Aironi try.

Robbo

A bit of Connacht pressure and Ofisa scores, converted.

14-10.

Seems to be a very high penalty count on both sides.

Good and regular updates here

http://twitter.com/#!/ConnachtRugbyFB

Robbo

20-13.

Sean Cronin, followed by Nick Williams in the bin.

2 in the bin will make the next 10mins really really tough

porterbelly

****. Try by Demas 25-13 conversion missed. 20 mins to go

What an awful result. Not even losing BP

ambid

Disappointing. But Aironi would have targetted this game all season.

This can still be a good season if Connacht finish above the Scots and Italians.

Robbo

Ah well, that's something we have in common with Biarritz then this season.

In fairness, since they've changed coaches Aironi have been getting better and were bound to get a result before the season was out.

Sounds like a sloppy kind of game but onwards to Embra next week with Muldoon having a few more minutes on him. I plan on being in fine voice with a refreshing beverage or two.

seanin4711

except the players

thomond2006

Hard luck for Connacht but Aironi were bound to win a game sometime this season.

CatFromHue

the only teams to finish below connacht in the celtic league since 03/03 no longer exist.

that shows how far connacht have come this season.

Gelio

I'm actually happy Aironi finally won a game! Shame it had to be against Connacht

profitius

Connacht:
15 Gavin Duffy, 14 Brian Tuohy, 13 Niva Ta'auso, 12 Troy Nathan, 11 Fionn Carr, 10 Ian Keatley, 9 Frank Murphy,
8 Ray Ofisa, 7 Johnny O'Connor (capt), 6 Andrew Browne, 5 Mike McCarthy, 4 Michael Swift, 3 Jamie Hagan, 2 Sean Cronin, 1 Brett Wilkinson.

Some of those players cannot possibly be able to perform at anywhere near 100%. They've been asked to play too many games this season and thats why the form of the early season was impossible to recreate.

At least next season Connacht should have a bigger squad and be able to rotate the team a bit, keep it fresh and it will perform better overall.

Aironi too have been on an upward curve. After watching them in the first game of the season against Munster nobody would have said they'd take this long to record a win.

porterbelly

Agreed Profitius. That's pretty much the same team all season and it's the exact same 15 for the last 5/6 games. Alot of these lads can no way be firing on all cylinders and alot must be carrying niggles. Swifty is 33 and has started practically every game, it's just not on.

It shows how Eric Elwood doesn't trust/believe in some of the fringe players and the quality is not there. Hopefully we can get a good squad next season. A core of 20-25 players being able to rotate from week to week and then 10-12 more who can make an impact at some stage as well. It's just not there at the minute.

sock puppet

profitius wrote: »

Some of those players cannot possibly be able to perform at anywhere near 100%. They've been asked to play too many games this season and thats why the form of the early season was impossible to recreate.

At least next season Connacht should have a bigger squad and be able to rotate the team a bit, keep it fresh and it will perform better overall.

They should have just given up in the Amlin Cup after they lost the opening round.

PhatPiggins

sock puppet wrote: »

They should have just given up in the Amlin Cup after they lost the opening round.

Maybe but it was the good showing in the last 2 rounds of the Amlin that were the foundation for a good run of results prior to yesterdays loss.

porterbelly

The Prato game at home should have been used to blood fringe players, it was needless putting our full team out.

Look, the recent run is nothing to go shouting from the rooftops about. A weakened Scarlets, Treviso, Aironi and Glasgow at home. Even if these teams had full squads we should be winning these games at home. We should be putting of a fight up away at a far from full string Ospreys and then Aironi. Losing bonus points minimum. Our standards have slipped, but as I said in a previous post, it's not hard to see why with the squad severley overworked. We need to beat Edinburgh and Cardiff at home to make it a good season. Then we'll have nothing to lose in the away interpros and can have a good cut at Ulster and Munster.