# 2016–17 Connacht Rugby season

The 2016–17 season was Irish provincial rugby union side Connacht Rugby's sixteenth season competing in the Pro12, and the team's twenty-first season as a professional side. It was Pat Lam's fourth and final season in charge of the side.
Connacht finished the season in eight place in the league. As well as playing in the Pro12, Connacht competed in the Champions Cup in Europe, finishing third in their pool, level on points with Toulouse, who advanced to the knockout stage as one of the best runners-up. The second-tier side the Connacht Eagles competed in the 2016–17 British and Irish Cup, finishing bottom of their pool.

## Background

Connacht started the season with a new coaching team. Backs and kicking coach Andre Bell left his role to return to his family in New Zealand. Head performance analyst and assistant attack coach Conor McPhillips took over coaching of the backs, while the team's former head coach Eric Elwood took over coaching kicking. The close season also saw the departure of the side's all-time record try-scorer Fionn Carr who scored 42 tries over two spells with the province. During the off-season, the team's homeground, the Galway Sportsground underwent renovations with the addition of a seated stand increasing its capacity to 8,100.

## Coaching and management team

Note: Flags indicate national union as has been defined under WR eligibility rules. Individuals may hold more than one non-WR nationality.
| Role | Name | Union |
| Chief executive | Willie Ruane | Ireland |
| Head coach | Pat Lam | Samoa |
| Team manager | Tim Allnut | New Zealand |
| Forwards Coach | Jimmy Duffy | Ireland |
| Backs Coach | Conor McPhillips | Ireland |
| Skills Coach | Dave Ellis Mossy Lawler | Ireland |
| Kicking Coach | Eric Elwood | Ireland |
| Head Performance Analyst | Simon Kavanagh | Ireland |
| Head of Fitness | Paul Bunce | New Zealand |
| Academy manager | Nigel Carolan | Ireland |
| Connacht Eagles Coach | Mossy Lawler | Ireland |
| Consultant Coach | Nathan White | Ireland |

## Players
### Senior playing squad

Note: Flags indicate national union under World Rugby eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-World Rugby nationality.
| Player | Position | Union |
| Shane Delahunt | Hooker | Ireland |
| Dave Heffernan | Hooker | Ireland |
| Tom McCartney | Hooker | New Zealand |
| John Andress | Prop | Ireland |
| Finlay Bealham | Prop | Ireland |
| Denis Buckley | Prop | Ireland |
| Conor Carey | Prop | Ireland |
| JP Cooney | Prop | Ireland |
| Ronan Loughney | Prop | Ireland |
| Peter McCabe | Prop | Ireland |
| Dominic Robertson-McCoy* | Prop | New Zealand |
| Ivan Soroka | Prop | Ireland |
| Andrew Browne | Lock | Ireland |
| James Cannon* | Lock | England |
| Ultan Dillane | Lock | Ireland |
| Ben Marshall | Lock | Ireland |
| Danny Qualter | Lock | Ireland |
| Quinn Roux | Lock | Ireland |
| Lewis Stevenson | Lock | Ireland |
| James Connolly | Flanker | Ireland |
| Naulia Dawai | Flanker | Fiji |
| Nepia Fox-Matamua | Flanker | New Zealand |
| Jake Heenan* | Flanker | New Zealand |
| Rory Moloney | Flanker | Ireland |
| Seán O'Brien | Flanker | Ireland |
| Eoghan Masterson | Number 8 | Ireland |
| Eoin McKeon | Number 8 | Ireland |
| John Muldoon (c) | Number 8 | Ireland |
| Player | Position | Union |
| Caolin Blade | Scrum-half | Ireland |
| John Cooney | Scrum-half | Ireland |
| Kieran Marmion | Scrum-half | Ireland |
| Marnitz Boshoff | Fly-half | South Africa |
| Jack Carty | Fly-half | Ireland |
| Steve Crosbie | Fly-half | Ireland |
| Shane O'Leary* | Fly-half | Canada |
| Bundee Aki | Centre | New Zealand |
| Tom Farrell | Centre | Ireland |
| Eoin Griffin | Centre | Ireland |
| Rory Parata | Centre | Ireland |
| Peter Robb | Centre | Ireland |
| Craig Ronaldson | Centre | Ireland |
| Niyi Adeolokun | Wing | Ireland |
| Matt Healy | Wing | Ireland |
| Stacey Ili | Wing | New Zealand |
| Cian Kelleher | Wing | Ireland |
| Danie Poolman* | Wing | South Africa |
| Darragh Leader | Fullback | Ireland |
| Tiernan O'Halloran | Fullback | Ireland |
| Josh Rowland | Fullback | Ireland |
* Players qualified to play for Ireland on dual nationality or residency grounds*
* Senior 15's internationally capped players in bold
* Irish Provinces were limited to four non-Irish eligible (NIE) players and one non-Irish qualified player (NIQ or "Project Player"). Connacht Rugby is exempted from this under a separate development arrangement

### Academy squad

Note: Flags indicate national union under World Rugby eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-World Rugby nationality.
| Player | Position | Union |
| Jack Dineen | Hooker | Ireland year 3 |
| Pat O'Toole | Hooker | Ireland year 2 |
| Jamie Dever | Prop | Ireland year 3 |
| Conor Kenny | Prop | Ireland year 1 |
| Conor Kyne | Prop | Ireland year 2 |
| Saba Meunargia | Prop | Ireland year 3 |
| Conán O'Donnell | Prop | Ireland year 2 |
| Peter Claffey | Lock | Ireland year 1 |
| Cillian Gallagher | Lock | Ireland year 1 |
| Cian Romaine | Lock | Ireland year 2 |
| Marc Kelly | Flanker | Ireland year 3 |
| Stephen McVeigh | Flanker | Ireland year 3 |
| Player | Position | Union |
| Stephen Kerins | Scrum-half | Ireland year 1 |
| Conor Lowndes | Scrum-half | Ireland year 2 |
| Conor McKeon | Scrum-half | Ireland year 3 |
| Matthew Byrne | Wing | Ireland year 1 |
| Ciaran Gaffney | Wing | Ireland year 3 |
| Adam Leavy | Wing | Ireland year 1 |
| Ed O'Keefe | Wing | Ireland year 2 |
| Cormac Brennan | Fullback | Ireland year 2 |

## Results
### Pro12

2016–17 Pro12
watch · · discuss :
| | Team | P | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TF | TA | Try bonus | Losing bonus | Pts |
| 1 | Munster (RU) | 22 | 19 | 0 | 3 | 602 | 316 | +286 | 77 | 34 | 9 | 1 | 86 |
| 2 | Leinster (SF) | 22 | 18 | 0 | 4 | 674 | 390 | +284 | 91 | 47 | 12 | 1 | 85 |
| 3 | Scarlets (CH) | 22 | 17 | 0 | 5 | 537 | 359 | +178 | 66 | 40 | 9 | 0 | 77 |
| 4 | Ospreys (SF) | 22 | 14 | 0 | 8 | 556 | 360 | +196 | 74 | 42 | 10 | 3 | 69 |
| 5 | Ulster | 22 | 14 | 1 | 7 | 521 | 371 | +150 | 68 | 47 | 6 | 4 | 68 |
| 6 | Glasgow Warriors | 22 | 11 | 0 | 11 | 540 | 464 | +76 | 72 | 53 | 9 | 5 | 58 |
| 7 | Cardiff Blues | 22 | 11 | 1 | 10 | 508 | 498 | +10 | 59 | 60 | 3 | 4 | 53 |
| 8 | Connacht | 22 | 9 | 0 | 13 | 413 | 498 | −85 | 47 | 61 | 5 | 3 | 44 |
| 9 | Edinburgh | 22 | 6 | 0 | 16 | 400 | 491 | −91 | 46 | 59 | 1 | 6 | 31 |
| 10 | Benetton Treviso | 22 | 5 | 0 | 17 | 316 | 664 | −348 | 35 | 92 | 1 | 2 | 23 |
| 11 | Newport Gwent Dragons | 22 | 4 | 0 | 18 | 368 | 569 | −201 | 38 | 71 | 1 | 6 | 23 |
| 12 | Zebre | 22 | 3 | 0 | 19 | 318 | 773 | −455 | 38 | 105 | 1 | 6 | 19 |
| If teams are level at any stage, tiebreakers are applied in the following order: number of matches won; the difference between points for and points against; the number of tries scored; the most points scored; the difference between tries for and tries against; the fewest red cards received; the fewest yellow cards received. |||||||||||||||
| Green background (rows 1 to 4) are play-off places and earn a place in the 2017–18 European Rugby Champions Cup. Blue background indicates teams outside the play-off places that earn a place in the European Rugby Champions Cup. Yellow background advances to a play-off for a chance to compete in the Champions Cup. (Q) indicates team has qualified for the play-offs and has qualified for the 2017–18 European Rugby Champions Cup. |||||||||||||||
* 3 September 2016 17:15
| Connacht | 5–41 | Glasgow Warriors (1 BP) |
| Try: Adeolokun 32' m | Report | Try: Seymour (2) 10' m, 36' m Hogg 45' c Swinson 52' c Puafisi 58' c Lamont 70' c Con: Pyrgos (3/5) Clegg (1/1) Pen: Pyrgos (1/1) 24' |
* Galway Sportsgrounds Attendance: 6,063 Referee: Ian Davies (WRU)
* 10 September 2016 19:35
| Connacht | 11–32 | Ospreys (1 BP) |
| Try: McKeon 57' m Pen: Carty (2/2) 20', 46' | Report | Try: Webb (2) 29' c, 74' c Ardron 71' m Hassler 77' c Con: S. Davies (3/4) 29', 74', 77' Pen: S. Davies (2/2) 5', 63' |
* Galway Sportsgrounds Attendance: 5,749 Referee: Ben Whitehouse (WRU)
* 17 September 2016 18:05
| Zebre | Postponed | Connacht |
* Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi Referee: Ian Davies (WRU)
After 40 minutes of play, the match was "abandoned due to adverse weather conditions causing considerable risk to both the players and spectators". Zebre were leading 22–10 (3 tries to 1) when the match was abandoned. A rescheduled fixture was played on 1 April 2017.
* 24 September 2016 19:35
| Scarlets | 17–8 | Connacht |
| Try: Li. Williams (2) 36' c, 66' c Con: Patchell (2/2) 36', 66' Pen: Patchell (1/1) 71' | Report | Try: Adeolokun 22' m Pen: Carty (1/1) 40' |
* Parc y Scarlets Attendance: 5,630 Referee: George Clancy (IRFU)
* 30 September 2016 19:35
| (1 BP) Connacht | 28–15 | Edinburgh |
| Try: Adeolokun 9' c Roux 36' m Kelleher 45' m Robb 73' m Con: Carty (1/4) Pen: Carty (2/2) 17', 23' | Report | Try: Gilchrist 19' c Allen 70' m Con: Tovey (1/2) Pen: Tovey (1/1) 5' |
* Galway Sportsgrounds Attendance: 5,771 Referee: Nigel Owens (WRU)
* 7 October 2016 19:35
| (1 BP) Connacht | 30–25 | Ulster (1 BP) |
| Try: Carty 2' c Kelleher (2) 23' m, 52' m Connolly 25' c Con: Carty (2/4) Pen: Carty (2/2) 37', 59' | Report | Try: Gilroy 33' m Best 41' c Payne 44' c Con: Jackson (2/3) Pen: Jackson (2/2) 5', 65' |
* Galway Sportsgrounds Attendance: 6,194 Referee: Gary Conway (IRFU)
* 29 October 2016 17:15
| Leinster | 24–13 | Connacht |
| Try: Byrne 49' Daly 75' c Con: Nacewa (1/2) 76' Pen: Nacewa (4/4) 23', 32', 38', 58' | Report | Try: Delahunt 80' c Con: Carty (1/1) 80' Pen: Ronaldson (2/2) 4', 13' |
* RDS Arena Attendance: 18,200 Referee: John Lacey (IRFU)
* 4 November 2016 19:15
| Newport Gwent Dragons | 21–16 | Connacht (1 BP) |
| Try: Hewitt (2) 14' c, 46' c Con: O'Brien (2/2) 14', 46' Pen: O'Brien (1/1) 21' Drop: O'Brien (2/2) 36', 52' | Report | Try: Adeolokun 69' c Con: Carty (1/1) 69' Pen: Carty (3/3) 25', 39', 59' |
* Rodney Parade Attendance: 4,522 Referee: George Clancy (IRFU)
* 25 November 2016 19:35
| Connacht | 18–7 | Cardiff Blues |
| Try: Cooney 15' c Aki 56' m Con: Cooney (1/2) 16' Pen: Cooney (2/2) 40', 49' | Report | Try: James 17' c Con: Shingler (1/1) 18' |
* Galway Sportsgrounds Attendance: 6,190 Referee: Nigel Owens (WRU)
* 3 December 2016 15:00
| (1 BP) Connacht | 47–8 | Benetton Treviso |
| Try: McCartney (2) 14' c, 32' c Poolman 26' c Buckley 38' c Cooney 50' c Heffernan 55' m Carty 74' c Con: Cooney (4/4) 14', 26', 32', 38' Boshoff (1/1) 50' Carty (1/2) 74' | Report | Try: Flammini 67' c Con: McKinley (1/1) 5' |
* Galway Sportsgrounds Attendance: 5,903 Referee: Ian Davies (WRU)
* 23 December 2016 19:35
| Ulster | 23–7 | Connacht |
| Try: McCloskey 26' c Ross 52' c Con: Jackson (2/2) 28', 53' Pen: Jackson (3/3) 20', 36', 67' | Report | Try: Carty 55' Con: Carty (1/1) 56' |
* Kingspan Stadium Attendance: 17,613 Referee: George Clancy (IRFU)
* 31 December 2016 17:30
| (1 BP) Connacht | 9–16 | Munster |
| Pen: Carty (3/4) 30', 50', 76' | Report | Try: Marshall 56' c Con: Keatley (1/1) 57' Pen: Keatley (2/3) 2', 39' Drop: Keatley (1/2) 68' |
* Galway Sportsgrounds Attendance: 8,090 Referee: David Wilkinson (IRFU)
* 7 January 2017 13:30
| (1 BP) Ospreys | 29–7 | Connacht |
| Try: Baker 11' c Cracknell 13' c Smith 56' c Beck 79' m Con: S. Davies (3/3) 12', 14', 57' Pen: S. Davies (1/1) 44' | Report | Try: O'Brien 75' c Con: Cooney (1/1) 77' |
* Liberty Stadium Attendance: 6,669 Referee: John Lacey (IRFU)
* 12 February 2017 17:05
| (1 BP) Cardiff Blues | 13–19 | Connacht |
| Try: N. Williams 28' c Con: Anscombe (1/1) 28' Pen: Anscombe (2/2) 12', 20' | Report | Try: Healy 39' c Con: Cooney (1/1) 39' Pen: Cooney (2/2) 44', 64' Ronaldson (1/1) 80' Drop: O'Halloran (1/1) 78' |
* BT Sport Cardiff Arms Park Attendance: 4,300 Referee: Marius Mitrea (FIR)
* 18 February 2017 19:35
| (1 BP) Connacht | 14–9 | Newport Gwent Dragons (1 BP) |
| Try: O'Halloran 5' c Blade 13' c Con: Ronaldson (2/2) 5', 13' | Report | Pen: O'Brien (3/3) 18', 42', 53' |
* Galway Sportsgrounds Attendance: 6,190 Referee: Nigel Owens (WRU)
* 26 February 2017 13:30
| Benetton Treviso | 19–34 | Connacht (1 BP) |
| Try: Buondonno 37' m Sperandio 70' c Odiete 75' c Con: Tebaldi (1/1) 37' Buondonno (1/1) 75' c | Report | Try: Blade 27' c Bealham 31' c Ronaldson 47' c O'Halloran 60' c Con: Ronaldson (3/3) 27', 31', 47' Carty (1/1) 60' Pen: Ronaldson (2/2) 15', 21' |
* Stadio Comunale di Monigo Attendance: 1,500 Referee: Ian Davies (WRU)
* 3 March 2017 19:35
| (1 BP) Connacht | 33–3 | Zebre |
| Try: Adeolokun 8' c Dawai 26' m Muldoon 61' c Penalty try 66' c Stevenson 75' c Con: Cooney (1/2) 8' O'Halloran (1/1) 61' Ronaldson (1/1) 75' | Report | Pen: Palazzani (1/1) 45' |
* Galway Sportsgrounds Attendance: 4,091 Referee: Marius Mitrea (FIR)
* 25 March 2017 17:15
| (1 BP) Glasgow Warriors | 35–24 | Connacht |
| Try: Flynn 11' c Russell 49' c Price 54' c Lamont 77' m Con: Russell (3/3) 12', 50', 54' Pen: Russell (2/2) 7', 36' P. Horne (1/1) 74' | Report | Try: Adeolokun 4' m Muldoon 29' c Con: Ronaldson (1/2) 30' Pen: Ronaldson (3/4) 19', 48', 66' J. Cooney (1/1) 76' |
* Scotstoun Stadium Attendance: 7,351 Referee: Ian Davies (WRU)
* 1 April 2017 15:30
| Zebre | 25–22 | Connacht (1 BP) |
| Try: Minnie 24' c Boni 41' m Padovani 66' c Con: Canna (2/3) 26', 67' Pen: Canna (2/3) 7', 31' | Report | Try: Ili 1' m Ronaldson 13' c Rowland 78' c Con: J. Cooney (1/2) 14' Ronaldson (1/1) 79' Pen: J. Cooney (1/2) 47' |
* Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi Attendance: 2,000 Referee: Mike Adamson (SRU)
* Game rescheduled from 17 September 2016.
* 7 April 2017 19:35
| (1 BP) Edinburgh | 19–22 | Connacht |
| Try: Penalty try 63' c Watson 66' c G. Bryce 73' m Con: Weir (2/3) 63', 67' | Report | Try: E. McKeon 29' c Con: Crosbie (1/1) 30' Pen: Crosbie (5/5) 8', 26', 36', 49', 60' |
* New Myreside Attendance: 3,189 Referee: Dan Jones (WRU)
* 15 April 2017 19:35
| Connacht | 24–37 | Leinster (1 BP) |
| Try: Poolman 18' c Heffernan 49' m Con: Ronaldson (1/2) 18' Pen: Ronaldson (4/4) 1', 12', 28', 40' | Report | Try: Kirchner 6' m A. Byrne 10' c O'Loughlin 34' m Ruddock 52' c B. Daly 68'c Con: R. Byrne (3/5) 10', 53', 68' Pen: R. Byrne (2/2) 20', 76' |
* Galway Sportsgrounds Attendance: 8,090 Referee: Ian Davies (WRU)
* 29 April 2017 20:00
| Connacht | 8–30 | Scarlets (1 BP) |
| Try: Ronaldson 58' m Pen: Boshoff (1/1) 11' | | Try: McNicholl 4' c S. Evans (2) 14' m, 26' m L. Williams 31' m van der Merwe 78' m Con: Patchell (1/5) 5' Pen: Patchell (1/1) 66' |
* Galway Sportsgrounds Attendance: 5,290 Referee: Mike Adamson (SRU)
* 6 May 2017 17:15
| (1 BP) Munster | 50–14 | Connacht |
| Try: Earls 8' c O'Donoghue 27' c Conway (2) 33' c, 54' c Cronin 43' c Saili 70' c Oliver 80' m Con: Keatley (6/7) 8', 28', 34', 44', 54', 70' Pen: Keatley (1/1) 25' | | Try: Kelleher 51' c Dawai 64' c Con: Ronaldson (2/2) 52', 65' |
* Thomond Park Attendance: 18,567 Referee: David Wilkinson (IRFU)

### Champions Cup
#### Pool 1

| Teamvte | P | W | D | L | PF | PA | Diff | TF | TA | TB | LB | Pts |
| Wasps (5) | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 210 | 112 | +98 | 28 | 13 | 3 | 1 | 22 |
| Toulouse (7) | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 164 | 91 | +73 | 22 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 18 |
| Connacht | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 188 | 118 | +70 | 26 | 15 | 2 | 0 | 18 |
| Zebre | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 90 | 331 | −241 | 11 | 49 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
* 15 October 2016 17:30
| Connacht | 23–21 | Toulouse (1 BP) |
| Try: Adeolokun 20' m O'Halloran 58' m Aki 66' c Con: Ronaldson (1/1) 66' Pen: Carty (2/3) 25', 29' | Report | Try: David 34' m Doussain 37' c Con: Bézy (1/2) 37' Pen: Bézy (2/4) 7', 11' Fritz (1/1) 13' |
* Galway Sportsgrounds Attendance: 8,091 Referee: Luke Pearce (RFU)
* 23 October 2016 16:15
| Zebre | 7–52 | Connacht (1 BP) |
| Try: D'Apice 61' c Con: Padovani (1/1) 61' | Report | Try: Ili (3) 10' c, 41' c, 79' c Carty 13' c Penalty try 52' c Kelleher (2) 53' c, 74' m Carey 55' m Con: Ronaldson (6/8) 10', 13', 41', 52', 53', 79' |
* Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi Attendance: 3,000 Referee: Mathieu Raynal (FFR)
* 11 December 2016 13:00
| (1 BP) Wasps | 32–17 | Connacht |
| Try: Beale 6' c Hughes 43' c Launchbury 62' c Bassett 72' m Con: Gopperth (3/4) 7', 44', 63' Pen: Gopperth (2/2) 22', 35' | Report | Try: Marmion 24' c Parata 45' c Con: Carty (2/2) 25', 46' Pen: Carty (1/3) 18' |
* Ricoh Arena Attendance: 13,364 Referee: Alexandre Ruiz (FFR)
* 17 December 2016 17:30
| Connacht | 20–18 | Wasps |
| Try: Poolman 39' c Dawai 80' c Con: Carty (2/2) 40', 80' Pen: Carty (2/3) 8', 31' | Report | Try: Simpson 13' c Bassett 72' m Con: Gopperth (1/2) 13' Pen: Gopperth (2/3) 53', 67' |
* Galway Sportsgrounds Attendance: 8,090 Referee: Mathieu Raynal (FFR) (for Jérôme Garcès (FFR))
Assistant referee Mathieu Raynal replaced the original referee Jérôme Garcès on the 73rd minute of the game after pulling a hamstring.
* 14 January 2017 13:00
| (1 BP) Connacht | 66–21 | Zebre |
| Try: Healy (2) 1' c, 41' c Cooney 18' c O'Halloran (2) 23' c, 43' c Bealham 27' c Marmion (2) 36' m, 54' c Ronaldson 39' c Blade 66' m Con: Cooney (8/10) 2', 19', 23', 29', 40', 42', 44', 55' | Report | Try: Meyer 6' c Ruzza 11' c Bellini 62' c Con: Canna (3/3) 7', 12', 62' |
* Galway Sportsgrounds Attendance: 5,607 Referee: Tom Foley (RFU)
* 22 January 2017 16:15
| Toulouse | 19–10 | Connacht |
| Try: Fickou 5' c Bonneval 17' c Tekori 46' m Con: Doussain (2/3) 6', 18' | Report | Try: Muldoon 53' c Con: Ronaldson (1/1) 54' Pen: Ronaldson (1/2) 33' |
* Stadium Municipal Attendance: 12,023 Referee: Wayne Barnes (RFU)

### Champions Cup play-offs
#### Semi-final

* 20 May 2017 16:00 BST
| Northampton Saints | 21–15 | Connacht |
| Try: Mallinder 1' c Groom 56' m Con: Mallinder (1/2) 2' Pen: Mallinder (3/3) 15', 23', 70' | Report | Try: Adeolokun 4' c Heffernan 61' m Con: Ronaldson (1/2) 4' Pen: Ronaldson (1/1) 28' |
* Franklin's Gardens, Northampton Referee: Mathieu Raynal (FFR)
| FB | 15 | Ahsee Tuala | | 78' |
| RW | 14 | Ben Foden |
| OC | 13 | Nafi Tuitavake |
| IC | 12 | Luther Burrell | | 23' |
| LW | 11 | George North |
| FH | 10 | Harry Mallinder |
| SH | 9 | Nic Groom | | 67' |
| N8 | 8 | Louis Picamoles |
| OF | 7 | Teimana Harrison | | 58' |
| BF | 6 | Jamie Gibson | 78' to 80' |
| RL | 5 | Christian Day | | 64' |
| LL | 4 | Courtney Lawes |
| TP | 3 | Kieran Brookes | | 62' |
| HK | 2 | Dylan Hartley (c) | | 59' |
| LP | 1 | Alex Waller | | 62' |
| Replacements: ||
| HK | 16 | Mike Haywood | | 78' |
| PR | 17 | Campese Ma'afu | | 62' |
| PR | 18 | Gareth Denman | | 62' |
| LK | 19 | Api Ratuniyarawa | | 64' |
| FL | 20 | Tom Wood | | 58' |
| SH | 21 | Lee Dickson | | 67' |
| FH | 22 | Sam Olver |
| CE | 23 | Rory Hutchinson | | 23' |
| Coach: ||
| Jim Mallinder ||
| FB | 15 | Tiernan O'Halloran |
| RW | 14 | Niyi Adeolokun |
| OC | 13 | Danie Poolman |
| IC | 12 | Craig Ronaldson |
| LW | 11 | Cian Kelleher | 3' |
| FH | 10 | Jack Carty |
| SH | 9 | Kieran Marmion | 66' |
| N8 | 8 | John Muldoon (c) |
| OF | 7 | Jake Heenan | 56' |
| BF | 6 | Seán O'Brien |
| RL | 5 | James Cannon | 51' |
| LL | 4 | Quinn Roux |
| TP | 3 | Finlay Bealham | 68' |
| HK | 2 | Dave Heffernan |
| LP | 1 | Denis Buckley |
| Replacements: ||
| HK | 16 | Shane Delahunt |
| PR | 17 | JP Cooney |
| PR | 18 | Conor Carey | 68' |
| LK | 19 | Ultan Dillane | 51' |
| FL | 20 | Naulia Dawai | 56' |
| SH | 21 | Caolin Blade |
| SH | 22 | John Cooney | 66' |
| WG | 23 | Matt Healy | 3' |
| Coach: ||
| Pat Lam ||