Brideswell's Darragh starts for Connacht in Champions Cup opener tonight
Brideswell's Darragh Murray has been named among the starters in the Connacht side which begins its Investec Champions Cup campaign against Bordeaux-Begles at The Sportsground in Galway tonight (Friday) at 8pm.
Murray, whose older brother Niall has been named among the replacements, will line out alongside Bundee Aki in what will be Aki's first appearance since Ireland’s Rugby World Cup quarter-final.
Darragh Murray retains his place in the team after featuring last weekend when Connacht came close to defeating Leinster in league action only to lose out by two points after conceding a late try.
Commenting ahead of the game, Connacht head coach Pete Wilkins said:
"Champions Cup nights at The Sportsground are special occasions and we expect (tonight) to be no different.
"Of course there was disappointment with Saturday's result against Leinster but it shows we have the quality to perform against the best teams in Europe. We used Monday to review and bank the lessons from the game, and the whole squad is excited to get back out in front of another big crowd against another quality opponent.
"Bordeaux will arrive with a star-studded squad and, like many French sides, will have x-factor players who can light up a game if you give them the chance. For us it is a fantastic opportunity show we can impose our personalities and style of play against a quality team on the biggest European stage."
CONNACHT RUGBY MATCHDAY 23 VS BORDEAUX-BEGLES
20:00, Friday 8th December 2023 @ The Sportsground
15. Mack Hansen (29)
14. Byron Ralston (22)
13. Cathal Forde (19)
12. Bundee Aki (127)
11. Andrew Smith (4)
10. JJ Hanrahan (6)
9. Caolin Blade (177) (C)
1. Denis Buckley (234)
2. Dave Heffernan (184)
3. Finlay Bealham (192)
4. Darragh Murray (14)
5. Joe Joyce (6)
6. Cian Prendergast (53)
7. Shamus Hurley-Langton (26)
8. Seán Jansen (2)
16. Tadgh McElroy (6)
17. Peter Dooley (24)
18. Jack Aungier (55)
19. Niall Murray (62)
20. Conor Oliver (69)
21. Michael McDonald *
22. David Hawkshaw (19)
23. John Porch (82)