I'm sure Pat will be playing this smart and not take anything for granted. Target the 4 points first and foremost and if the lads successfully follow the game plan the tries will likely come.

Soon as I heard McCarthy was out I knew Ultan would not be released. Being totally selfish here, his rise in the Irish ranks will only compound the problems in the 2nd row at Connacht should Muldowney not resign. Connacht have to get him for another 2 years or I'm afraid all Pat's work will go down the sh!tt3r.

Need to target 5 points here. Go for the corner early on, and drive over the line.

clanman wrote: Mils at Full-back, i think he might struggle against our backline

Yep, Niyi could have a field-day if AJ gets his kicking in behind right

crucially only 4 players out of 13 with the Italy camp have been allowed back to play for Zebre this weekend

Mils at Full-back, i think he might struggle against our backline

salmson wrote: Great to see Dillane's retained in the Ireland camp.

Macca confirmed as unlikely to play for the rest of the season so Dillane should be on the bench. Great news for him. He's probably being tapped up by the Leinster goys as we speak

Only a few changes for Zebre compared to the squad that faced Leinster. Different prop and backrow. Looks like one outside back and crucially for them they have Kelly Haimona back at ten who was with Italy. His a far better 10 than the academy lad that faced Leinster.
Good side by Connacht. No nice saying it but we should be targeting 5 points here.
Were good enough to do it.

3 changes in the pack and 4 in the backline for Zebre. They've won 5 of their 9 home games, and only been properly done over once in those defeats (22-39 loss to Ospreys), so I'm expecting a bar-brawl of a game.

A win is a must. Hopefully the BP as well. Will be a tougher game than a what a lot of people are saying. Hopefully the last 20 we can break them and get the 4 try BP. Liking our lineup. Good sign for Ultaine being retained by the Ireland Team. Hopefully AJ has practiced his Kicking this week :blink:

two of the Italian players released. Will be very hard to win. Should taget Mils on his lack of speed

Zebre: Mils Muliaina, Giulio Toniolatti, Giulio Bisegni, Matteo Pratichetti, Kayle Van Zyl, Kelly Haimona, Luke Burgess, Andries Van Schalkwyk, Johan Meyer, Emiliano Caffini, Marco Bortolami (cap), Gideon Koegelenberg, Dario Chistolini, Oliviero Fabiani, Bruno Postiglioni
A disposizione: Emiliano Coria, Andrea De Marchi, Pietro Ceccarelli, Federico Ruzza, Filippo Cristiano, Matteo Panunzi, Ulrich Beyers, Tommaso Boni.

clanman wrote: a stronger team than I thought we'd have, I havent seen the zebre team but that should be a cricket score we put up against them

Let's not count chickens before they're hatched and also a little respect for the opposing team.
Connacht have had to put up with that kind of comment over the years and I for one found it very difficult.

Great to see Dillane's retained in the Ireland camp.

a stronger team than I thought we'd have, I havent seen the zebre team but that should be a cricket score we put up against them

15 Tiernan O’Halloran
14 Niyi Adeolokun
13 Bundee Aki
12 Craig Ronaldson
11 Matt Healy
10 AJ MacGinty
9 Kieran Marmion

1 Denis Buckley
2 Tom McCartney
3 Finlay Bealham
4 Ben Marshall
5 Aly Muldowney
6 John Muldoon (captain)
7 Jake Heenan
8 Eoin McKeon

Replacements:

16 Dave Heffernan
17 Ronan Loughney
18 Rodney Ah You
19 George Naoupu
20 Eoghan Masterson
21 Caolin Blade
22 Peter Robb
23 Danie Poolman

both could do with a rest anyway, i think we have enough strength in depth to beat Zebre without them, Dillane will need to play though

Linley reporting in the Advertiser that Aki and Muldowney are suffering from chest infections

A 10-12-13 axis of Ronaldson -Robb-Parata should do the job against the Italians?
Dillane and George in second row with Marshall on bench?

borders5 wrote: Who has been released back to the club from the international squad?

Don't think Pat has gotten the official word from Joe yet. Probably will hear today. My guess Robbie and Nathan unavailable and the rest released. This will probably/hopefully change in a couple of weeks with Ireland out of contention and Italy and Scotland coming to Dublin.