Elwood fit to face tough Scots

Celtic Cup Semi-final preview: Coach Michael Bradley makes three changes to the Connacht team that brought Ulster's Celtic League winning streak to an end last weekend.

Injury doubts surrounding outhalf Eric Elwood, hooker Bernard Jackman and prop Fabian Boiroux have been dispelled, although Adrian Clarke comes in for Boiroux at tighthead prop. Damian Browne starts in the second row, with Mike McCarthy on the bench.

A little reshuffle in the back line has David Hewitt coming in at full back with Mark McHugh moving into the centre.

It was McHugh's accurate kicking against Ulster - seven from seven - that brought Connacht one of their finest wins of the season.

Captain Tim Allnutt starts on the bench with Jackman skipper for the day.

Edinburgh travel with a strengthened squad as World Cup players return and they name Scott Murray in the second row and Allan Jacobsen at loosehead prop.

Hugely influential captain and former All Black Todd Blackadder has been passed fit to play at openside flanker, having gone off last week with a hand injury, while Brendan Laney, also a casualty last Friday, remains at outhalf.

For Connacht, the match is one of the biggest in their recent history and they come into the game knowing they have already had the beating of this side in the Celtic League earlier in the season. Fortune favoured them a little on that occasion; still they came away with an 11-3 win.

"We are very wary of the threat they pose and I guess you could say it is one of those 50-50 games," said Bradley. "Edinburgh, like the other Scottish teams, mirror the game at national level. They ruck very well, get great continuity and retain possession well - it is our job to counter all that."

So far Connacht have been able to counter most of what has been put in their way, but having captured Munster's scalp 20-9 last Friday, the Scottish side will arrive with growing confidence.

Their pack will have been strengthened but Connacht, especially their back row of Swift, Neville and O'Sullivan, have matched most of what has come their way. McHugh will add more bulk in the centre while his kicking, especially from long range and from the hand, is sure to be pivotal.

In the event of a tied match, there will be 10 minutes of extra time (five minutes each way), with the first team to score the winners.

If still tied, the winners will be decided by the team with the most tries in the match; the fewest red cards in the match; the fewest yellow cards in the match or the toss of a coin.

CONNACHT: D Hewitt; M Mostyn, D Yapp, M McHugh, C McPhilips; E Elwood, M Walls; M Hogan, B Jackman (capt), A Clarke, D Browne, A Farley, M Swift, P Neville, J O'Sullivan. Replacements: J Fogarty, F Boiroux, M McCarthy, T Carter, C McLoughlin, T Allnutt, W Munn

EDINBURGH: D Lee; S Webster, M Di Rollo, C Joiner, H Southwell; B Laney, R Lawson; A Jacobsen, A Kelly, C Smith, S Murray, A Kellock, T Blackadder (capt), S Cross, A Hogg. Replacements: C Di Ciacca, R Mathieson, N Pike, A Dall, G Burns, A Warnock, M Dey.

Referee: N Owens (Wales).