Scrum half Kieran Marmion is in line to earn his 50th cap on Saturday, having played in every Connacht game since his debut at the beginning of the 2012/13 season and starting in all but two of those games.
Up front, Aly Muldowney replaces Michael Swift for his fourth start of the season. The 6 foot 5 inch lock will partner Mick Kearney in the second row.
Galway-born Eoin McKeon makes a welcome return from injury to start at Number 8 in a back row with Academy forward Eoghan Masterson and captain John Muldoon.
Veteran prop Nathan White is named on the bench, while Connacht centurion Frank Murphy gets the nod at replacement scrum half.
Speaking about the team selection and the upcoming game, Head Coach Pat Lam said:
"With another six-day turnaround this week it's important to have fresh legs available in Robbie (Henshaw) and players like Eoin (McKeon) coming back from injury.
"Denis (Buckley) and Rodney (Ah You) both put in Man of the Match performances in the last three games and they deservedly retain their starting spots this week. But it's great to be able to call on the experience of Nathan (White) from the bench.
"Aly (Muldowney) has been training and playing very well these last few weeks and he deserves his chance to start against Treviso tomorrow.
"It's also such a great achievement for young Kieran (Marmion) to have reached the 50 cap milestone. The fact that he has played 50 consecutive games since his senior debut is testament to his ability, his durability and his sheer toughness.
"This week, coming up against Treviso, has been all about focus. Coming off the back of two wins, we understand what we need to do ourselves to make it three-in-a-row.
"Against Ulster last week and also when we played them in October, Treviso showed what they're made of and the type of challenge they present. Going into the break we want to finish off this block of games on a high - for us and for our supporters."
Connacht v Treviso will not be televised so the only way to get in on the action is to get down to the Sportsground. Tickets for the round 16 fixture are available online from tickets.ie, from the Connacht Rugby office, and from Centra and SuperValu stores province-wide.
Connacht Rugby is also delighted to launch our 'Strength in Numbers' campaign this week. The club will hold a celebration of women's rugby at the Connacht v Treviso game on Saturday. This date was specifically chosen to coincide with International Women's Day and Ireland's historic debut appearance at the Aviva stadium the following weekend. The event will involve a series of player interviews, information stands for potential recruits, and some informal introductory skills sessions, and should help propel women's rugby firmly into the local spotlight. Go to www.connachtrugby.ie/women for more information.
Connacht v Treviso
Saturday, March 1st 2014
At the Sportsground, 5pm
Referee: Leighton Hodges (WRU, 36th competition game)
Assistant Referees: Leo Colgan, Will O'Connor (both IRFU)
Citing Commissioner: Eddie Walsh (IRFU)
Connacht line-up v Treviso
15. Robbie Henshaw
14. Tiernan O'Halloran
13. Eoin Griffin
12. Dave McSharry
11. Fionn Carr
10. Dan Parks
9. Kieran Marmion
1. Denis Buckley
2. Jason Harris-Wright
3. Rodney Ah You
4. Aly Muldowney
5. Mick Kearney
6. John Muldoon (captain)
7. Eoghan Masterson
8. Eoin McKeon
Replacements:
16. Dave Heffernan
17. Finlay Bealham
18. Nathan White
19. Michael Swift
20. Andrew Browne
21. Frank Murphy
22. Miah Nikora
23. Danie Poolman
Unavailable/Injured: Brett Wilkinson, Ronan Loughney , Sean Henry, James Rael, Craig Clarke, Jake Heenan, Willie Faloon, Aaron Conneely, Paul O'Donohoe, Craig Ronaldson, and Kyle Tonetti.
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