Connacht vs Benetton Treviso - 02/12/11 7:30pm

Right, time to end the slide. Team should be announced shortly.

Come on Connacht. Need a bloody win.

Interesting to see who starts in the backs. Duffy, O'Halloran, Griffin and McSharry are the only safe one's, as long as Eric doesn't rest anyone

Going to miss this game too. Two home games in a row is heartbreaking.

Oooh, here's the team:

15 Gavin Duffy (C)
14 Mark McCrea
13 Kyle Tonetti
12 Dave McSharry
11 Tiernan O'Halloran
10 Niall O'Connor
09 Frank Murphy
01 Brett Wilkinson
02 Ethienne Reynecke
03 Ronan Loughney
04 Michael Swift
05 George Naoupu
06 Dave Gannon
07 John Muldoon
08 Ray Ofisa

16 Adrian Flavin
17 Dennis Buckley
18 Rodney Ah You
19 Mick Kearney
20 Eoghan Grace
21 Paul O'Donohoe
22 Matthew Jarvis
23 Fetu'u Vainikolo

Pity this game isn't televised. I'd like to see how this back line gets on.

Good to see McCrea, Tonetti, O'Connor, Murphy, Reynecke, Loughney get in from the start.
The lads they have replaced can have no complaints. Hopefully they take their chance as we need a win big time.

I don't think Muldoon is a 7 and I'd switch him with Ofisa or a more specialised 7 (No one I can think of apart from the injured Johnny Concrete that is good enough). I'd also switch Gannon with George as I feel George is better playing as a 6 or 8

Hopefully Mick Kearney, Fetu(brutal debut though), Jarvis gets some game time. Jarvis is in place of Nikora on the bench. I presume that is due to Mia's form?

Big Ray's 100th Cap for Connacht.

Make sure he gets the ovation he deserves from those going to the game.

Good to see the team mixed up a bit, we were (I hope this can stay in the past tense) in a deep slump. I think McSharry is doin great, is Griffin still injured?

ConnachtCows wrote: Big Ray's 100th Cap for Connacht.

Make sure he gets the ovation he deserves from those going to the game.

REALLY don't like this team. Ronan Loughney hasn't played Tighthead for at least two years, and always struggled when there (has been great a loosehead since being moved, by the way). Naopu is a back row not a second row. Gannon is a second row not a back row. Muldoon isn't a 7, Ray can and has done a job there. Nikora has been unceremoniously dumped from the 23 without as much as an explanation.
No problem with the backs, but Treviso are very strong up front so not looking forward to that battle.
Hope to be proved wrong but not too optimistic for this game...

Is Bradley back?

Our No 8 in the second row, and a second row in the back row? WTF? Meaning Ray isn't playing 7 and Mul isn't playing 6??? Too many players at their second best spots, and entirely unnecessarily!

Top it off with a lovely backline with players with something to prove, who will get no service from NOC!

We're setting this game up to throw it away.

Would love to hear an explanation from Eric on the choices made on 5-8. As has been said, the side would be better served if all four were in their strongest position. I can only assume the management are desperate to give George another run in the second row and that necessitated the reshuffle.

I like the looks of the back line but of course will there be a platform from which Murphy can work and will NOC be able to utilise them to their best?

Yet again more experimental (by the looks of it) changes, we need a win here first and foremost. Hopefully the days of targeting games are behind us, its momentum we need now. Will be very interesting to see how the backline gets on, going in against Italian opposition with a changed pack is worrying. Positive to see Jarvis and McCrea back in the mix. Brian Touhy has gone from starter to not being in the match day squad. Dylan Rogers has made cameos off the bench, and isn't included in the match day squad either.

Just noticed the replacement prop is Dennis Buckley from the Academy Squad, no Rodgers as already mentioned and no Stewart Maguire. Strange one as well.

george and swifty in the 2nd row to give a bit more timber behind loughs, I'd say.
interesting to see how tonetti gets on although he's better at 12 I think,

A win is paramount though

V important we win tomorrow, have to bear in mind that we are only 2 points behind Ulster and with a bit of luck can go above them. It is now time for the team to "front up" as the supporters have, really looking forward to seeing Tonetti and am pleased to see Jarvis back, I also think that we should give Vainikola a run in the team to "settle" him in etc

Tired of the back line lacking any penetration over the past few games. Delighted with the changes in the back row. All I can say is bring it on as last week's performance against the Ospreys was pretty pathetic to say the least - flat, no pace and no penetration.

No good only relying on forwards to break the game line game after game after game.Its non-sense.

We need pace pace pace pace..............................

I have been saying that McCrea should start all the time ahead of Tuohy , Nikora has been poor , Jarvis should be starting ahead of O'Connor (don't care how young he is, that's a load of BS!!).

The lads who have been dropped can absolutely no complaints - change is needed and fast to halt this losing match streak. I'm working in Dublin tommorrow and will be horseing it down the motorway to see this team play. It is a shame that Griffin is still out as his addtion to this back -row would make my weekend!!


Front up Rise up Connacht for Christ's sakes please!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rant over and don't care if anyone agrees with me or not.......

Positives and negatives in that team, was very happy looking at the changes in the backline from 15-11. Bar Griffin those look our best options at present.

Good to see Jarvis in the 23 again.

Front row looks vulnerable, Wilkinson needs to lift his performance to his usual high levels. Ronan Loughney has impressed at loose head in the past couple of years and imo has deserved more game time this season at LH but any time I have seen him at Tight Head he has struggled.
Reynecke deserves a chance, has done well off the bench recently but needs to take this opportunity, Flavin has done well for us this season and is 1st choice until Reynecke delivers.

5-8 looks a bit all over the shop. With Swifty back I think George should have reverted to 8. John Muldoon at 6, Ray at 7 (has done well at 8 but just think George is the better option), Gannon in the 2nd row (or possibly Kearney). Gannon has played a bit at 6 here and at Exeter and possibly in NZ but just feel we need to get those who should be our top performers into their best positions.

Saw Treviso against Leinster last Saturday afternoon, gave up a couple of soft tries early but had the better of a lot of that game against a strong Leinster side. Threw away at least a bp in that game though and looked to have a lot of injuries, the depth of their squad will be tested but the one thing for sure is that they will have a good pack and put it up to us.

Connacht owe themselves and the supporters a win and a strong performance here, anything less than 4 here would be a disaster and would surely send us to Aironi in early January on the back on 12 defeats on the spin and could be the death nail in our season. If that can't motivate the players, then nothing will.

I know this might be mad, but does anyone think that maybe Declan Kidney asked for Gannon to play in the backrow?

I know its crazy,but he is playing well. Not saying he's going to be picked by Ireland but it aint impossible