LONDON, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 04: Kirby Myhill, Captain of Cardiff Blues looks on during the pre season friendly between Harlequins and Cardiff Blues at the Twickenham Stoop on September 04, 2021 in London, England. (Photo by Warren Little/Getty Images)
United Rugby Championship: Cardiff vs Connacht preview
Connacht visit Cardiff Arms Park looking to improve their dismal record at the venue in the opening round of the United Rugby Championship.
LONDON, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 04: Kirby Myhill, Captain of Cardiff Blues looks on during the pre season friendly between Harlequins and Cardiff Blues at the Twickenham Stoop on September 04, 2021 in London, England. (Photo by Warren Little/Getty Images)
Connacht visit Cardiff Arms Park looking to improve their dismal record at the venue in the opening round of the United Rugby Championship.
Hosts Cardiff will be under the direction of Dai Young in what will be his first full season at the helm.
Cardiff vs Connacht preview
Cardiff have an excellent record against Connacht, winning 24 and drawing two of their 35 meetings. The Blue and Blacks have been beaten just once at the Arms Park since January 2020.
Connacht have not triumphed outside of Ireland since beating Benetton in the Rainbow Cup in February. They had an encouraging Rainbow Cup beating Ulster, Munster and the Ospreys in the abbreviated event.
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Drawn in the same section as Connacht, Cardiff also had a decent Rainbow Cup campaign in which they beat the same Ulster, Munster and won a Welsh derby against Ospreys.
The Irish side are likely to be the more enterprising in the early going but will need to be clinical if they are to seize the initiative from their hosts.
What they said
“It’s hugely important but no less important for Connacht. Playing at home puts in a bit of added pressure,” Young said.
“I’ve got huge respect for Connacht. They play a great brand of rugby and if we’re not at our best then we’ll lose. It’s as simple as that.
“But we’re confident that if we bring our ‘A-game’ then we’ll come away with the result. It will be tough but we can come away with the result.”
“We’ve got Cardiff away on Friday night. That’s going to be a really tough game. They’re a formidable outfit and they’re very hard to knock over over there,” Connacht coach Andy Frriend said
“I think we’ve had two successes there in the last 10 years so it’s not an easy game.
“We’re all aware of that but our intention is to start well and hopefully – if we’re at our best – it will be a really impressive win for us.”
Team line-ups: Cardiff vs Connacht
Cardiff: Hallam Amos; Owen Lane, Rey Lee-Lo, Willis Halaholo, Jason Harries; Rhys Priestland, Lloyd Williams; Corey Domachowski, Kirby Myhill, Dmitri Arhip, Seb Davies, Matthew Screech, Josh Turnbull (captain), Ellis Jenkins, James Ratti.
Replacements: Liam Belcher, Rhys Carré, Dillon Lewis, Rory Thornton, Will Boyde, Tomos Williams, Jarrod Evans, Max Llewellyn.
Connacht: Tiernan O’Halloran, John Porch, Tom Farrell, Tom Daly, Mack Hansen, Jack Carty, Kieran Marmion, Matthew Burke, Shane Delahunt, Finlay Bealham, Oisin Dowling, Ultan Dillane, Cian Prendergast, Conor Oliver, Jarrad Butler (captain).
Replacements: Dave Heffernan, Jordan Duggan, Dominic Robertson-McCoy, Niall Murray, Paul Boyle, Hubert Gilvarry, Conor Fitzgerald, Sammy Arnold.
Match information, where to watch, live stream, officials
Date: Friday, 24 September
Venue: Cardiff Arms Park, Cardiff (UK)
SA time: 20:35
Referee: Andrea Piardi (FIR)
AR1: Elgan Williams (WRU)
AR2: Steff Edwards (WRU)
TMO: Alan Falzone (FIR)
TV: SuperSport
Stream: DStv Now and ShowMax Pro
