Aki set for 150th cap as Connacht take on Edinburgh
CONNACHT HAVE NAMED the team that will take on Edinburgh in tomorrow's URC clash at Dexcom Stadium [Kick-off, 7.35pm].
Bundee Aki, who was selected for the Lions squad this week, is set to make his 150th appearance for the club in his usual midfield spot. He will partner up with Hugh Gavin.
JJ Hanrahan starts at 10 in what will be his final home game for the club as Jack Carty misses out due to a minor ankle issue.
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Santiago Cordero, Shayne Bolton and Finn Treacy make up the back three with Ben Murphy starting at scrum-half.
Experienced front rowers Denis Buckley, Dave Heffernan and Finlay Bealham all return after missing the last game against the Lions, while Josh Murphy and Darragh Murray slot into the second row.
Cian Prendergast captains the side on the flank, with Conor Oliver on the opposite side and Sean Jansen at number 8.
🟢 𝐓𝐄𝐀𝐌 𝐍𝐄𝐖𝐒 🦅
For the last time in Dexcom Stadium this season 👊
🧢 Cap 150 for Bundee
💪 Front row returns for Denis, Heff and Finlay
🔗 https://t.co/gwUzsEPPLb#OneConnacht | @Genesys pic.twitter.com/sMat9W2V3A — Connacht Rugby (@connachtrugby) May 9, 2025
Connacht XV v Edinburgh
15. Santiago Cordero (20)
14. Shayne Bolton (24)
13. Hugh Gavin (9)
12. Bundee Aki (149)
11. Finn Treacy (6)
10. JJ Hanrahan (27)
9. Ben Murphy (14)
1. Denis Buckley (263)
2. Dave Heffernan (217)
3. Finlay Bealham (217)
4. Josh Murphy (37)
5. Darragh Murray (37)
6. Cian Prendergast (85) Captain
7. Conor Oliver (95)
8. Sean Jansen (24)
Replacements
16. Dylan Tierney-Martin (56)
17. Peter Dooley (52)
18. Jack Aungier (86)
19. Oisín Dowling (76)
20. Paul Boyle (114)
21. Caolin Blade (208)
22. Cathal Forde (50)
23. David Hawkshaw (42)
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Extra.ie
15 minutes ago
- Extra.ie
Criticism and scrutiny of Sam Prendergast has gone too far
Leinster got their groove back on Saturday. A hapless Glasgow side – the defending champions, lest we forget – felt the full force of a vengeful team, which is on a mission to secure a first trophy for the province in four seasons. After all the recent criticism, virtually every player on the pitch delivered a top-class performance. Andrew Porter and Dan Sheehan looked like Test Lions-in-waiting, while Thomas Clarkson, who was filling in for the stricken Tadhg Furlong at tighthead, delivered arguably the most compelling performance of his fledgling career. Sam Prendergast. Pic: Seb Daly/Sportsfile Joe McCarthy and James Ryan were ferocious on both sides of the ball. Again, both second rows are primed to have big summers with Andy Farrell's tourists in Australia. Ryan Baird went home with the player-of-the-match award after 80 minutes of relentless industry. Scott Penny showed up well. Jack Conan led from the front. Not bad for a backrow unit missing Josh van der Flier and Caelan Doris. Jamison Gibson-Park was as sharp as ever. Jordie Barrett was rock solid. Jamie Osborne capped off a busy shift with a brace of tries. Tommy O'Brien and James Lowe brought heaps of energy. Jimmy O'Brien, filling in for the injured Hugo Keenan, caught the eye, too. Ronan Kelleher, RG Snyman, Max Deegan and Ciaran Frawley brought energy from the bench while Ross Byrne delivered his customary calm and poise when he entered the fray. Jordie Barrett Pic: Tyler Miller/Sportsfile There was one outlier in an otherwise dominant display from the hosts. Sam Prendergast didn't have his best outing. Once again, the young Leinster out-half delivered a mixed performance. Yes, Leinster's attack hummed and fizzed with intent all afternoon. The hosts crossed for six tries and had two more chalked off by TMO interventions. If anything, the 37-19 scoreline flattered the Scots in the end. It could have even been greater if Prendergast didn't have such an off-day with the kicking tee, missing four conversions, a penalty and a drop-goal during an unconvincing shift. Once again, Prendergast's defence was suspect at key moments. None of this is new. And, ahead of Saturday's URC Grand Final against a physically imposing Bulls side, there is a genuine case to be made for Byrne or Frawley to wear the No10 jersey. Leo Cullen. Pic: David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile It's doubtful that Leo Cullen will make such a radical change at this stage. The Leinster supremo has backed Prendergast as playmaker-in-chief all season. It would be a radical move to bench his first-choice out-half in the week of such a pivotal game. No doubt, there will be plenty of scrutiny about Prendergast's performance against Glasgow in the coming days. It's been the same story all season. You'd wonder if the Kildare native is a bit worn down from constantly being under this rugby-shaped microscope. At the end of the day, this is the reality of being a professional rugby player in this country. No player should be immune from critical analysis. When it comes to assessing the strengths and weaknesses of Prendergast's game, however, a lot of the criticism has crossed the line. It's worth pointing out that Prendergast is still only 22 and this is essentially his first full season at the top level. He only made his international debut in November, as a second-half replacement against Argentina, and has gone on to win a further seven caps for his country. For context, Johnny Sexton made his Test bow at age 24. Prendergast has been learning on the job. His development was accelerated by Andy Farrell who saw immense potential in a player who spearheaded a talented Ireland U20s team which made a Junior World Cup final in the summer of 2023. Sam Prendergast. Pic: Seb Daly/Sportsfile The Ireland head coach brought Prendergast into the national setup despite the fact that he was behind the Byrne brothers and Frawley in the Leinster pecking order. The penny seemed to drop with Cullen, with the Leinster boss turning to Prendergast to lead Leinster in this campaign. Prendergast started his first Champions Cup game (against Bristol) and his first interpro (against Munster) in December. He started four straight Six Nations games before making way for Jack Crowley ahead of the final-round clash with Italy in Rome. It's been a meteoric rise for such a young player in such a pivotal position. And the outside noise has been deafening at times. Prendergast has been love-bombed by certain commentators and loathed by others. Not so long ago, some observers – including some former Lions and prominent pundits – were installing Prendergast as the leading contender to wear the No10 shirt against Joe Schmidt's Wallabies this summer. Meanwhile, there has been some vitriolic criticism of Prendergast across social media, particularly from a cohort of Munster supporters who feel that Crowley had been unfairly usurped as Ireland's first-choice No10. Said fans have been angered by the so-called 'Leinsterification' of the national team. Both viewpoints have been extreme and unwarranted. Prendergast is far from the finished article. He isn't physically or mentally ready to boss a Lions Test series. But he doesn't deserve to be ridiculed by faceless fan accounts on social media either. Jack Crowley. Pic: INPHO/Dan Sheridan A video mocking Prendergast's attempted tackle on Henry Pollock began to do the rounds across WhatsApp in the days after Leinster's Champions Cup semi-final defeat against Northampton. It was cheap and mean spirited. We're veering into cyberbullying territory. We're not talking about a seasoned Test veteran here. This is a young man who has been thrown in at the deep end because his province felt he had the highest ceiling among a stable of talented out-halves while the international management felt he was a player who could have a major impact at the 2027 World Cup, and beyond. You'd hope that all is this outside noise hasn't had any lasting effects on Prendergast. In November 2023, England legend Owen Farrell announced he would be giving the 2024 Six Nations a swerve to 'prioritise his and his family's wellbeing.' Farrell subsequently signed for Racing 92 and hasn't been seen in an England shirt since. Just like Prendergast, the 33-year-old has been a lightning rod for online barbs and relentless scrutiny. Farrell voted with his feet. He had enough of all the negativity. He wasn't enjoying it anymore. You'd hate to think that Prendergast would feel compelled to do something similar. He doesn't look like someone whose enjoying all this attention at the moment. Maybe it's time for people to give the kid a break.
The 42
5 hours ago
- The 42
Ireland's Finlay Bealham set to join up with Farrell's Lions
CONNACHT AND IRELAND prop Finlay Bealham is set to be called into the British and Irish Lions squad. Lions boss Andy Farrell named Tadhg Furlong, Zander Fagerson, and Will Stuart as the three tighthead props in his initial 38-man group last month, but Furlong and Fagerson are currently sidelined due to injury, while Stuart will be involved in next weekend's Premiership final with Bath. Furlong has had a troubled season so far, with calf and hamstring issues limiting him to just nine appearances for Leinster and Ireland. Scotland's Fagerson, meanwhile, has been out of action since early April with a calf injury. Furlong and Fagerson both missed yesterday's URC semi-final between Leinster and Glasgow. Though it is still hoped that they will recover from injury ahead of the Lions tour to Australia, it seems that Farrell must look for cover for now. As such, 33-year-old Bealham is set to be added to Farrell's Lions squad. The Lions are gathering for a training camp in Portugal next week and will then move on to Dublin the following week ahead of their opening warm-up game against Argentina at the Aviva Stadium on 20 June. Advertisement The Lions depart for Australia after that match and it remains to be seen whether Bealham remains with the group for the trip to his native land, but it seems quite possible given Furlong and Fagerson's injury concerns. Canberra man Bealham first moved to Ireland in 2010 and has since become a key figure for Connacht and in the Irish squad. Earlier this week, 51-times capped Bealham was named in Ireland's summer squad to visit Georgia and Portugal, but he could end up touring with the Lions instead. With Furlong sidelined, Bealham has been Ireland's first-choice tighthead this season and has been an impressive performer in green under Farrell in recent years. That meant he was always likely to be close to a Lions call-up if there were injury issues at tighthead. When naming his 38-man squad, Farrell indicated that he would likely add more players ahead of the tour and Bealham looks set to be one of them. With Leinster in the URC final next weekend, Farrell will be missing that 12-man contingent of his Lions squad this week, while three players are involved in Bath's Premiership final clash with Leicester. So Farrell will likely need to call in several players to the Lions squad, even if only for the Argentina fixture, which takes place just six days after the URC and Premiership finals. Bealham touring with the Lions would mean Ireland losing one of the few experienced players in their summer squad and with a big scrum challenge to come against Georgia, it would be an undoubted blow for interim head coach Paul O'Connell. Connacht's Jack Aungier, who trained with the Irish squad during the Six Nations and played for Ireland A during that window, is seen as the leading contender to replace Bealham if he goes on Lions duty.
Extra.ie
7 hours ago
- Extra.ie
Leinster respond after recent criticism clearly touched a nerve
It's been 36 days since Leinster's Champions Cup semi-final defeat by Northampton. Yesterday, the home side played like a team who were fed up of hearing about it. The entire operation has been copping it since their seemingly unstoppable charge to a fifth and belated European title was derailed in Dublin on May 3. All the recent criticism has clearly touched a nerve. On the night before this game, the province's media team put up a 30-second video showing some less than complimentary headlines in the wake of the flawed Scarlets win, with the caption: 'We're not here to prove people wrong. We're here to prove ourselves right.' Pic: Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile The mental fortitude of this injury-hit squad has been questioned in recent times. Had they checked out after their latest Champions Cup failure? Those noises grew louder in the wake of last week's laboured, nervy and error-strewn quarter-final win against Scarlets. This was a resounding response to all the recent flak. There were just 15,762 spectators in attendance for yesterday's game. There were vast swatches of empty seats. This felt more like a pre-season game than a URC semi-final. We wondered how this Leinster team would pitch up against an in-form Glasgow side, the reigning champions, who fancied their chances, especially when they learned that Josh van der Flier and Hugo Keenan had joined Caelan Doris, Robbie Henshaw, Garry Ringrose and Tadhg Furlong on the sidelines this week. Still, Leo Cullen was able to name a matchday squad featuring eight Oz-bound Lions, an All Black and a Springbok. Pic: Seb Daly/Sportsfile And no shortage of the big names fronted up. Dan Sheehan was the pick of the bunch. Andy Farrell and Johnny Sexton were in attendance and the Lions head coach – and one of his right-hand men in Australia – will have pencilled Sheehan in to start the first Test against Joe Schmidt's Wallabies in Brisbane on July 19. Porter, Ryan, Jamison Gibson-Park and James Lowe won't be far from the Test team either. It would be fascinating to hear what Farrell and Sexton made of Sam Prendergast's performance. On a day of so many positives, the Leinster No10 delivered another mixed display. Yes, Prendergast ran a rejuvenated attack with real presence but he had an off day with the boot while his defence will be scrutinised again. It's worth remembering that Prendergast is only 22 and still learning on the job in a team with such lofty ambitions. That's the thing about Leinster and all the recent criticism. A lot of it has been justified. This team should be winning trophies. They should go on and claim a first league title since 2021 next weekend. They should be stockpiling URC trophies, especially when they play like this. Leinster have a dozen Lions in their ranks. They have set the bar high. Pic: Seb Daly/Sportsfile There was an urgency about Leinster yesterday which had been sorely lacking in recent weeks. There was real venom in every carry, clearout and kick chase. Save for George Horne's early try, Leinster dominated possession and territory during a first-half display which was laced with intent. Glasgow looked lost long before they found sanctuary in the dressing room at the break. Save for the brilliant Sione Tuipolutu, they struggled to make an impact. When Horne fumbled a routine pass in the dying minutes of the first half, it summed up a fairly miserable opening 40 minutes for the visitors. It was fitting that Sheehan was the one credited with Leinster's fourth try of the first half after the Leinster pack – and half the home backline – had mauled they way over the Glasgow line. The Leinster hooker was a force of nature and caused Glasgow all sorts of problems with his carrying and energy. It was Sheehan who breached their line after just two minutes, scything through without a hand on him. It was the fourth time that Sheehan had carried the ball during a relentless opening attack. It was an ominous sign of what was to come. Sheehan was one of the standout performers but Andrew Porter, James Ryan, Ryan Baird, Jordie Barrett and Jimmy O'Brien weren't far behind. Tommy O'Brien and James Lowe were brimming with energy and purpose. Jamie Osborne was having a big game, too. The young midfielder has been denied a try at one stage but made amends a few minutes later when he was the beneficiary of some slick handling from Barrett, O'Brien and Lowe. That score was the epitome of Leinster's approach yesterday. It was slick, direct and devastating. It felt like the hosts were exorcising a few demons in real time. This didn't look like a team which had checked out. The 25-5 half-time score told its own story. Franco Smith replaced his out-half Adam Hastings with Stafford McDowall at the break, the Glasgow boss hoping the powerful centre's presence might halt some of the one-way traffic in the second half. Leinster players after their Champions Cup defeat by Northampton. Pic: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile Leinster didn't let the foot off the pedal. They continued to attack in waves. Smith replaced half his front five to inject some much-needed energy into a team which looked overwhelmed. When Osborne crashed over for his second try, you wondered if Leinster were going to better the 52-0 rout of the same opponents at this venue in April. Cullen then called Sheehan, Porter, Thomas Clarkson, Ryan and Barrett ashore with 25 minutes left to play. Thoughts were already turning to Saturday's final at Croke Park. Soon Ciaran Frawley – one of the second-half cavalry – was crossing for another try. The floodgates had well and truly opened. This was a procession long before the final whistle. Even the concession of few late tries and a late downpour couldn't dampen the mood inside the stadium. A repeat of the same intensity, cohesion and accuracy next weekend will finally secure some coveted silverware. The URC was not the title this squad craved this season but they need something to show for their efforts. The scar tissue from the Champions Cup remains but this felt like the beginning of the healing process. This was some response after a difficult time for the club. Shame there weren't more people here to witness it. Leinster are box office when they're in this kind of mood.
