Yeah I know that and I said "whatever". Rugby for a lock is not just about lineout and passing. He's our best ball carrier and involved in every rucks.
FFS Joe and the whole Ireland considered him as a sure prospect for RWC at 22, and you wanna play the most important double-header of our season without him to start??? It would be a shame.
Give the nod to SOB as 6 to help in the lineout (so does Heenan). But please don't sacrifice one single minute of gametime for one of our golden-boy ( remember the joint re-signing announcement with Aki, there's a reason for this : they are our best!)

connachta wrote: Ultan is international and too good to bench.

Watch the Edinburgh game again. Can't do the Aly role, not enough experience to call the lineout. Pat talked in the past about how Quinn and Ultan were playing for one place in the 23 when Browne and Aly were fit, because they couldn't yet do the leadership/technical roles the others could and Connacht are an extremely systemised team. With Cannon doing such a good job calling the lineout & it being his old club, I reckon odds are with Ultan benching, certainly for the first Wasps game, especially as he'll have been gone over a month when he gets back.

SOB was on the trainning pics today. Give him the bench, Nepia as 6, give Dawai proper time to fit in, like we did for Boshoff/Cannon
Dillane has to start againt Wasps. Whatever about lineout/Muldowney's role, Ultan is international and too good to bench.

He was indeed. He was kitted out ready to go.

I thought I saw him throwing a ball around with the rest of them in the warm up on Friday

Podge57 wrote:

salmson wrote: No mention of Sean O'Brien. The lads on leave is strange. Niyi's the only one who racked up decent game time this November as he played about 3 full games between Ireland and Connacht. Dillane and Bealham probably got about 100 minutes over the four weeks and Marmion less again. Still, better now than over Christmas.

Starting to think Dillane will just be a sub against Wasps, with Cannon calling the lineout and Roux starting to take on the Aly role. Hope Heenan gets a rest in favour of Fox-Matamua this weekend, and that Dawai makes the bench.

Edit: Strange TOH didn't get a week off.

Sean O'Brien not mentioned last week either?

Most likely he's not injured and just didnt make the 23 for the game last week.

salmson wrote: No mention of Sean O'Brien. The lads on leave is strange. Niyi's the only one who racked up decent game time this November as he played about 3 full games between Ireland and Connacht. Dillane and Bealham probably got about 100 minutes over the four weeks and Marmion less again. Still, better now than over Christmas.

Starting to think Dillane will just be a sub against Wasps, with Cannon calling the lineout and Roux starting to take on the Aly role. Hope Heenan gets a rest in favour of Fox-Matamua this weekend, and that Dawai makes the bench.

Edit: Strange TOH didn't get a week off.

Sean O'Brien not mentioned last week either?

No mention of Sean O'Brien. The lads on leave is strange. Niyi's the only one who racked up decent game time this November as he played about 3 full games between Ireland and Connacht. Dillane and Bealham probably got about 100 minutes over the four weeks and Marmion less again. Still, better now than over Christmas.

Starting to think Dillane will just be a sub against Wasps, with Cannon calling the lineout and Roux starting to take on the Aly role. Hope Heenan gets a rest in favour of Fox-Matamua this weekend, and that Dawai makes the bench.

Edit: Strange TOH didn't get a week off.

Too short to be a Connacht injury update
Disappointing for Griffin. Huge 4 months to come for Rory Parata

Ahead of Saturday’s Guinness PRO12 round 10 game at home to Benetton Treviso (3pm), the Connacht Rugby medical team have provided the following update.

Tom McCartney, Denis Buckley, Nepia Fox Matamua and John Cooney all came through the Cardiff game last week with no ill effects following their recent return from injuries.

Craig Ronaldson sustained an injury to his thigh in the Cardiff game and is awaiting the results of a scan to determine the extent of the injury.

Matt Healy has been integrated fully into team training this week following his return from the hand injury sustained v Edinburgh.

Eoin Griffin has undergone surgery for a chest muscle injury sustained in a club game with Buccaneers RFC and is due to return in March 2017.

All other injured players are as reported last week.

International players Finlay Bealham, Ultan Dillane, Kieran Marmion and Niyi Adeolokun are all on a week’s break following their involvement with Ireland over the November Series.

CONNACHT RUGBY v BENETTON TREVISO
Saturday December 3rd
At the Sportsground, 3pm.

Referee: Ian Davies (WRU, 54th competition game)
Assistant Referees: Gareth Newman (WRU), John Carvill (IRFU)
Citing Commissioner: Wayne Sheridan (IRFU)

None started so I'd expect them to be available. That said I'd expect to see Cooney start again as he needs minutes if we want him available in some capacity for the wasps games.

Need 5 points here, and I want to see at least 60 mins of Boschoff.

Is our Fijian Flyer (TM) available? Should be arriving at some point this week anyway.

Injury update expected today. Are we expecting the 3 lads who played against Australia to be available or will they have to rested due to the player welfare protocols?