Adrian Flavin, Troy Nathan and Andrew Browne have all been brought into the squad since Connacht's last match against the Queensland Reds.

Friday will see the westerners bidding to continue their proud record of having won every match on the opening day of a Celtic League season since the competition began.

Connacht's new captain John Muldoon said: "Our pre-season has gone well but we now need to take that into competitive action.

“Everyone is dying for the Magners League to get under way and we're hopeful that we can make a good start, beginning with Friday's game.

"It's worth an extra few points when you have a big crowd behind you. Connacht support is growing all the time and hopefully we can give them something to shout about on Friday."

However, the hosts will be missing a number of squad regulars for their first competitive game of the campaign.

Mel Deane (foot), Tim Donnelly (shoulder), Andy Dunne (hamstring), Johnny O'Connor (hand), Conor O'Loughlin (hip) and recent signing Mike Roberts (calf) are all nursing knocks, while David Gannon and Danny Riordan are also notable absentees.