Connacht v Scarlets: Teams
Ruki Tipuna and Liam Williams will both make their debuts for Scarlets against Connacht on Saturday.
Last Updated: 09/09/11 5:37pm
This weekend will see two new Scarlets pull on the jersey for their region, as they travel for the second RaboDirect PRO12 league fixture with Connacht.
With five home-grown Scarlets making their Rugby World Cup debuts on the big stage out in New Zealand this weekend, the next generation are stepping up in regional colours.
The first young Scarlet making an impression is 20-year-old Swansea winger Liam Williams, who gets his first opportunity on Saturday.
Williams gets his first start for the region after a successful campaign both with Wales U20 and Llanelli RFC last season. The fast, strong wing scored three tries in his eight appearances at international level in the Six Nations and World Championships campaigns earlier this year.
There is also the eagerly-awaited arrival on the pitch in Scarlets colours of specialist signing Ruki Tipuna, which will excite supporters. Paperwork from New Zealand finally arrived on Thursday after considerable chasing from the Scarlets, clearing the region's new scrum-half for duty.
The journey to Galway comes on the back of a solid first win at home last week, securing four league points against Aironi -winning 32-9.
Four changes
A former Dragons duo will make up the centre partnership with newly appointed Scarlets vice-captain Gareth Maule returning from a shoulder injury. He will be joined by Rhodri Gomer-Davies who has impressed and says he's delighted to be playing in his native Scarlets region.
Meanwhile, Connacht have named an unchanged XV from that which beat Treviso last Saturday, with just two changes on the bench.
Brett Wilkinson has recovered from the hamstring injury that ruled him out of World Cup contention. The 27-year-old loosehead prop, with 118 Connacht caps to date, replaces Denis Buckley.
Stewart Maguire looks to make his first competitive appearance for the province, replacing Dylan Rogers as tighthead prop.
Connacht: 15 Gavin Duffy (capt), 14 Mark McCrea, 13 Eoin Griffin, 12 Henry Fa'afili, 11 Tiernan O'Halloran, 10 Matthew Jarvis, 9 Frank Murphy, 8 George Naoupu, 7 Ray Ofisa, 6 John Muldoon, 5 Mike McCarthy, 4 Michael Swift, 3 Rodney Ah You, 2 Adrian Flavin, 1 Ronan Loughney.
Replacements: 16 Ethienne Reynecke, 17 Brett Wilkinson, 18 Stewart Maguire, 19 TJ Anderson, 20 Johnny O'Connor, 21 Paul O'Donohoe, 22 Niall O'Connor, 23 Brian Tuohy.
Scarlets: 15 Daniel Evans, 14 Lee Williams, 13 Rhodri Gomer-Davies 12 Gareth Maule, 11 Liam Williams, 10 Dan Newton, 9 Ruki Tipuna, 8 Ben Morgan, 7 Josh Turnbull, 6 Rob McCusker, 5 Dominic Day, 4 Aaron Shingler, 3 Rhys Thomas, 2 Emyr Phillips, 1 Iestyn Thomas (capt).
Replacements: 16 Kirby Myhill, 17 Phil John, 18 Simon Gardiner, 19 Lou Reed, 20 Johnathan Edwards, 21 Rhodri Williams, 22 Aled Thomas, 23 Adam Warren.
