Rugby:Connacht are gearing up to take on Samoa at the Sportsground next Tuesday (9th) ahead of the visitors' date with Ireland, who they will take on the following Saturday at the Aviva Stadium (13th).
Samoa will play Ireland, England and Scotland before returning to play a one off test match against Japan as part of their October tour to the Northern Hemisphere.
The western province already have an association with next week’s opponents as Connacht regulars, Ray Ofisa and Niva Ta’auso, hail from the Naviagators Islands, while Gavin Williams and Ofisa Treveranus, who have played for the western province, have been capped for Samoa.
“We are delighted to have a fixture of this calibre in the Sportsground, it continues a tradition of national teams visiting the west,” said Gerry Kelly, Connacht Rugby chief executive.
“Portugal played here the year before last and South Africa played here in 2007, the year they went onto win the World Cup, so we are well used to hosting teams from other nations.
Season tickets will be available for next Tuesday’s game (kick-off 7.05pm) plus there is be an extra incentive to buy tickets for just €10 between 10am and 4pm tomorrow. The special offer is available online via Ticketmaster or from the ticket office at the Sportsground.
Connacht coach Eric Elwood is looking forward to the Samoan visit, one he believes presents a good challenge for some of the younger members of his squad.
“It’s great to get big exciting fixtures like the Samoa game in the Sportsground, we’ve played New Zealand, South Africa, Fiji in the past and Samoa have now moved up the international rankings, it’s an exciting challenge for us,” said Elwood.
“We will be making some changes to our team because some of our senior players will need a rest but it’s a huge opportunity for some of the younger players to display their skills against international players.
“One thing for sure when you play Samoa is that it’ll be a physical encounter. There will be some big hits but we’re hoping that some of our players will be able to show their wares in attack. It’s a great opportunity for them to show what they can do and to challenge for places against the Ospreys and Edinburgh which are coming up in the Magners League”
Elwood in many ways is restricted with his selection as the majority of his frontline have played most of the Magners League games to date, while the Samoan contingent picked up injuries during last weekend’s defeat away to Treviso.
Ta’auso fractured an eye-socket and nose and is expected to be sidelined until January. Ofisa fractured his cheek-bone and is awaiting results of further scans. He is still in hospital under observation in Italy and expected to be out for six to eight weeks.