Connacht v Scarlets: Teams

Connacht coach Eric Elwood has made three changes for the visit of the Scarlets on Saturday.

Adrian Flavin and Johnny O'Connor have been added to the pack, with Troy Nathan replacing Keith Matthews in the backs.

Hooker Sean Cronin, though, is missing due to international commitments.

The Scarlets have made a number of changes for the trip to Galway.

Regan King, Lou Reed, Johnathan Edwards and Ben Morgan are among those included in the starting XV, with Rob McCusker released by Wales to play.

And coach Nigel Davies has been buoyed by the return of some of the region's top players - especially as nine players are away on international duty.

"It's good to see some key players coming back from injury for us and we are happy with the quality of the side we've been able to put together for this weekend given the number of injuries we're carrying and those on international duty," said Davies.

"The next three games - Connacht away this weekend and then our two home games (Ulster and Edinburgh) are absolutely critical for our ambitions this year.

"We know we need to build momentum in Connacht and then keep that going into the home games.

"It's not going to be an easy place to go to - it's dirty, its muddy and we have to bring the right tough mental attitude. Our forwards are going to have to play a big part in this performance against them, but they are more than capable of doing that."

Connacht: 15 Gavin Duffy, 14 Brian Tuohy, 13 Niva Ta'auso, 12 Troy Nathan, 11 Fionn Carr, 10 Ian Keatley, 9 Frank Murphy, 8 Mike McComish, 7 Johnny O'Connor (C), 6 Andrew Browne 5 Mike McCarthy, 4 Michael Swift, 3 Jamie Hagan, 2 Adrian Flavin, 1 Brett Wilkinson.
Replacements: 16 Dermot Murphy, 17 Dylan Rogers, 18 Rodney Ah You, 19 Bernie Upton, 20 Ray Ofisa, 21 Cillian Willis, 22 Mia Nikora, 23 Shane Monahan.

Scarlets: 15 Daniel Evans, 14 Darren Daniel, 13 Regan King, 12 Scott Williams, 11 Gareth Maule, 10 Dan Newton, 9 Martin Roberts ,8 Ben Morgan, 7 Johnathan Edwards, 6 Rob McCusker, 5 Lou Reed, 4 Vernon Cooper, 3 Rhys Thomas, 2 Emyr Phillips, 1 Iestyn Thomas (c).
Replacements: 16 Rhys Lawrence, 17 Simon Gardiner, 18 Owen Evans, 19 Jonny Fa'amatuainu, 20 Nick Cudd, 21 Gareth Davies, 22 Owen Williams, 23 Nick Reynolds.