{"id":470999,"date":"2025-10-03T11:50:14","date_gmt":"2025-10-03T11:50:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/470999\/"},"modified":"2025-10-03T11:50:14","modified_gmt":"2025-10-03T11:50:14","slug":"connacht-v-scarlets-team-news-as-wales-hopeful-gets-chance-in-different-role-and-new-skipper-named","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/470999\/","title":{"rendered":"Connacht v Scarlets team news as Wales hopeful gets chance in different role and new skipper named"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Scarlets will hope to bounce back against Connacht in Galway tomorrow (1.45pm kick-off)New Scarlets signing Joe Hawkins starts at number 10 this weekend(Image: Ian WIlliams\/Huw Evans Agency)<\/p>\n

Joe Hawkins will wear the number 10 shirt for the Scarlets<\/a> in a side captained by Johnny Williams for tomorrow’s United Rugby Championship clash with Connacht in Galway.<\/p>\n

Hawkins has played the majority of his senior rugby at centre but Wales legend Dan Biggar and former kicking coach Neil Jenkins have both previously said he has the skillset to play 10. The 23-year-old is a very talented footballer with a strong kicking game and should he go well at outside-half for the Scarlets it will strengthen his case for a Wales recall this autumn.<\/p>\n

Hawkins replaces Sam Costelow who has been ruled out because of a HIA and will partner Gareth Davies at half-back.<\/p>\n

The Scarlets’ squad is already stretched very thin after just one round of URC action with a number of players having picked up injuries. Sign up to Inside Welsh rugby on Substack to get exclusive news stories and insight from behind the scenes in Welsh rugby.<\/a><\/p>\n

Club captain Josh Macleod has also been ruled out after injuring his pectoral muscle in training with Dan Davies taking his place in a backrow which contains South African Jarrod Taylor and Wales international Taine Plumtree.<\/p>\n

Sam Lousi is also missing, which means Jake Ball and Max Douglas are in the second-row, while Alec Hepburn, Harry Thomas and Henry Thomas make up the front-row.<\/p>\n

Behind the scrum powerful centre Williams wears the captain’s armband for the first time and is joined by Joe Roberts. Join WalesOnline Rugby’s WhatsApp Channel here to get the breaking news sent straight to your phone for free<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Blair Murray, Tom Rogers and Ellis Mee form an exciting back three.<\/p>\n

Nineteen-year-old back-rower Osian Williams is set for his URC debut if he appears off the bench.<\/p>\n

The Carmarthen<\/a> product is another who has come through the age-grade pathway and captained Scarlets U18s last season.<\/p>\n

\u201cConnacht have been in good form, in pre-season and last weekend against Benetton, they have Stuart Lancaster in charge and look a good unit,” said Scarlets head coach Dwayne Peel.<\/p>\n

“Last week against Munster was one of the biggest collision games we have had in a number of years, but we finished the game strongly and we can take confidence in that. Get the latest breaking Welsh rugby news stories sent straight to your inbox with our FREE daily newsletter. Sign up here.<\/a><\/p>\n

“We know there are areas where we need to improve, particularly converting chances in the opposition 22. For us, it is about going out there and having a go at Connacht on their own patch.\u201d<\/p>\n

Connacht: <\/strong>Naughton; Mullins, Hawkshaw, Forde, Bolton; Carty, Murphy; Buckley, Heffernan. Aungier, Murray, Joycet, Prendergast (capt), Boyle, Jansen.<\/p>\n

Replacements: De Buitlear, Duggan, Illo, O’Connor, O’Brien, Devine, Gavin, Treacy.<\/p>\n

Scarlets: <\/strong>Murray; Rogers, Roberts, J Williams (capt), Mee; Hawkins, G Davies; Hepburn, Harry Thomas, Henry Thomas, Douglas, Ball, Taylor, Davis, Plumtree.<\/p>\n

Replacements: Myhill, S O’Connor, H O’Connor, T Davies, O Williams, Blacker, Nicholas, Page.<\/p>\n

Referee: <\/strong>Mike Adamson (Scotland)<\/p>\n

Assistants: <\/strong>Eoghan Cross (Ireland), Max Weston (Ireland)<\/p>\n

TMO: <\/strong>Colin Brett (Scotland)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Scarlets will hope to bounce back against Connacht in Galway tomorrow (1.45pm kick-off)New Scarlets signing Joe Hawkins…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":471000,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5010],"tags":[748,4884,15033,16,15,1764],"class_list":{"0":"post-470999","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-wales","8":"tag-britain","9":"tag-great-britain","10":"tag-scarlets","11":"tag-uk","12":"tag-united-kingdom","13":"tag-wales"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115310089009342647","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/470999","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=470999"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/470999\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/471000"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=470999"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=470999"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=470999"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}