Double injury blow for Connacht

Buckley sustained an ankle fracture during training last Friday and will be sidelined for at least the next two matches, while Aki, who picked up a knee injury in their 35-14 win over Munster two weeks ago, will miss tis week's trip to Italy and will continue to be progressed under the supervision of the medical and fitness teams.

In better news for Connacht, fullback Tiernan O'Halloran, flyhalf AJ MacGinty and flank Jake Heenan have all recovered from their respective injuries and will resume full training. 

The trio are all expected to be available for selection this week. 

Connacht face Treviso at Stagio Monigo in Italy on Friday, followed by their last-round clash with defending champions, Glasgow Warriors, at the Sportsground on Saturday, May 7th.