Connacht boosted for season-defining URC clash with Cardiff as Carty, Bealham and Buckley return

Connacht have been boosted by the return to fitness and training of captain Jack Carty, Finlay Bealham and Denis Buckley for next Saturday’s season-defining URC game against Cardiff at the Sportsground (kick-off 7.35pm, live on RTÉ2 and Premier Sports 1).

The talismanic Carty has missed Connacht’s last three games since the defeat of Zebre away in mid-February due to a hamstring injury, while Bealham has been sidelined since suffering a knee injury in Ireland’s third-round Six Nations win away to Italy and Buckley has missed the province’s last two games with an ankle injury.

Jarrad Butler, who missed the Challenge Cup round of 16 loss away to Benetton a fortnight ago with an Achilles strain, and Josh Murphy, who suffered a concussion in the win away to the Dragons, are also fit again and back in the mix. Byron Ralston is also training again after suffering an ankle injury away to Newcastle in January.

Against that, John Porch has been ruled out of consideration this week due to a calf injury and Dave Heffernan will likely miss the next two games due to an Achilles strain. The longer-term absentees Conor Fitzgerald, Oisin McCormack, Gavin Thornbury and Seán Masterson remain sidelined.

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Connacht go into their last home game of the regular season, which is already heading towards a sell-out, in sixth place in the URC table and knowing a win will almost certainly seal a place in the top eight and thus the play-offs.

That said, although Cardiff sit 10th overall, they are just four and five points clear of the Ospreys and the Scarlets in the three-way Welsh battle for a place in next season’s Champions Cup.

In welcoming back a clutch of key men ahead of what is likely to be his last home game after five seasons with the province, Connacht director of rugby Andy Friend said: “We’ve just come off the field and although it’s pretty wet and cold miserable, the session itself was very good.

“Having those names and others back and with us training, there just seems to be a bit more calmness and a bit more steadiness about the group. We trained very well there but it’s about what we do on Saturday now.”

Cardiff were also knocked out of the Challenge Cup in Treviso by Benetton at the quarter-final stage last Saturday and Friend said: “What we do know is that their season is in the balance too now.

“They’ve got everything to play for in the URC. They’ll be seeing us as an opportunity to come across and try and get a much-needed win in helping them to be the number one Welsh team.

“We’ve got a job to do ourselves and that’s why it’s such an exciting and important game this weekend.”