RUGBY:CONNACHT COACH Eric Elwood is hoping to have Miah Nikora, George Naoupu and Fetu'u Vainikolo for Saturday's RaboDirect Pro 12 League game against Cardiff Blues at the Sportsground.
Nikora has yet to play this season after suffering a stress fracture to a leg but he came through an A interprovincial against Munster last Friday.
Number eight Naoupu has recovered from a knee injury sustained against Edinburgh and is expected to be in contention for selection. Connacht’s only representative at the recent Rugby World Cup in New Zealand, Tongan wing Vainikolo, is expected to make his competitive bow.
He made his debut for Tonga during the summer, scoring a try in his second Test against Fiji and then in the World Cup played in the 25-20 defeat to Canada before crossing for his country’s third try in the victory over Japan. Vainikolo, who was born in Tonga but moved to Auckland when he was 12, has a reputation as an exhilarating broken-field runner.
The Irish province will name an extended squad for the game today before confirming the team tomorrow lunchtime. Connacht have called on their supporters to get behind the team ahead of the province’s first home Heineken Cup match against Toulouse on November 19th.
They are encouraging supporters to upload picture, video or messages at www.Facebook.com/connachtrugby. The top 100 images of support will be used to form part of Connacht Rugby’s “The Green Mile”.
Elsewhere, Ulster coach Brian McLaughlin will be hoping the returning six international players – Springboks Johann Muller and Ruan Pienaar, Scotland’s Simon Danielli and Irish trio Tom Court, Andrew Trimble and Paddy Wallace – can help arrest a run of three successive defeats.
Muller in particular is looking forward to a return to competitive action after playing just 38 minutes in the recent World Cup before succumbing to a hamstring injury.
Ulster’s affairs were never far from his mind as he explained: “I was on the phone every Friday night, or Saturday, whenever the guys played. I obviously didn’t bother the big man (coach, Brian McLaughlin) but David Humphreys kept me up to date with the score every 10 minutes. Ruan (Pienaar) and I were really interested in what was happening over here.
“I think everybody is happy to be back and to be part of it again. None of us have played for Ulster this season so it’s a new start for us as well and we’re all really looking forward to it. Obviously the one that’s going to be hurting us is the home loss (to Benetton Treviso) so I think the break came at a really good time.
“All the boys had a week away to clear their minds a bit and get their bodies nice and fresh again. The last two weeks of training has been really, really good and everybody is excited.”
Ulster travel to Parc y Scarlets where likely to be included in the home ranks is former Wales captain Matthew Rees. The 30-year-old hooker was due to lead his country at the tournament in New Zealand before being forced to undergo surgery for a persistent neck problem in August.
Rees was replaced as skipper by Blues flanker Sam Warburton, and it remains to be seen whether he will regain the captaincy for Wales’ next match against Australia on December 3rd at the Millennium Stadium.
Fellow hooker and club-mate Ken Owens, who didn’t start a match in New Zealand, scrumhalf Tavis Knoyle and centre Scott Williams are all expected to play a part at the weekend. Scarlets’ coach Nigel Davies confirmed: “Matthew (Rees) will play a part, whether he starts or comes off the bench. He is fit and ready to go.
“He has been a big influence and it is great to have someone of his rugby ability but also his influence back. We weren’t quite sure when he went for the operation how long the recovery would be, but it has been good news, we are delighted. He is happy and pain free as well, it is great news for us.
“We are hoping that Ken, Tavis and Scott will be available to play some part this week. They won’t come back into training until today but the great thing is the boys who have played in their position have played really well so it gives us a great level of competition.”
Davies confirmed Scarlets’ remaining Welsh Test players would return to training ahead of the Ospreys match next week. The exception is outhalf Rhys Priestland, who is not expected to return from the shoulder injury that sidelined him – he suffered the damage in the win over Ireland – for Wales’ last two matches in the World Cup for another fortnight: given his outstanding form in the tournament, he was sorely missed.
Davies admitted: “He could be another two weeks away from being fully fit. We will just monitor the situation, he is having intensive treatment at the moment and we will see how it goes.”
The Scarlets are in Munster’s Heineken Cup pool but do not meet for the first of back-to-back fixtures until round three in December.
