2 weeks Ago
Ireland's Cormac Izuchukwu at Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria, South Africa in July. Photo: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile Having toured South Africa with the senior team last summer, Ulster forward Cormac Izuchukwu and Leinster out-half Sam Prendergast have been included in the 33-man Emerging Ireland squad for their three match trip to the Rainbow Nation next month. The duo can use the games as a platform for getting back into Andy Farrell’s squad for the November internationals, with Easterby and the rest of the Ireland senior coaching ticket getting two weeks of hands on work with the players.
The touring party will be captained by Munster’s Alex Kendellen, with Olympian Zac Ward an interesting inclusion. Ward has joined Ulster on a short-term deal and, having played his club rugby at flanker, is now operating on the wing. The panel is largely made up of players who played in the last four U-20s teams, with a few exceptions like Sean Jansen and Shayne Bolton of Connacht.
Jansen is a powerful New Zealand born back-row who was signed from Leicester Tigers who qualifies for Ireland through his grandparents, while big South African winger Bolton qualifies through his grandmother. The squad is made up of 12 Leinster players, eight Munster players, seven from Connacht and six from Ulster, but Pete Wilkins and Richie Murphy could reasonably argue that the players they're losing would have played in the URC games that take place during the window. The players who go to Bloemfontein are expected to be ruled out of rounds two, three and four of the URC.
Easterby’s side face The Pumas on Wednesday October 2, Western Force on October 6 and the Cheetahs on October 10. Forwards (18): Jack Aungier (Lansdowne FC/Connacht), Jack Boyle (UCD RFC/Leinster), James Culhane (UCD RFC/Leinster), Jordan Duggan (Naas RFC/Connacht), Sean Edogbo (UCC RFC/Munster), Ronan Foxe (Garryowen FC/Munster), Cormac Izuchukwu (Ballynahinch RFC/Ulster), Sean Jansen (Connacht), Alex Kendellen (UCC RFC/Munster)(captain), Gus McCarthy (UCD RFC/Leinster), Darragh Murray (Buccaneers RFC/Connacht), Evan O'Connell (UL Bohemian RFC/Munster), Conor O'Tighearnaigh (UCD RFC/Leinster), Danny Sheahan (Cork Constitution FC/Munster), Harry Sheridan (Dublin University FC/Ulster), Stephen Smyth (Old Wesley RFC/Leinster), Alex Soroka (Clontarf FC/Leinster), Scott Wilson (Queen's University Belfast RFC/Ulster). Backs (15): Shayne Bolton (Connacht), Hugh Cooney (Clontarf FC/Leinster), Ethan Coughlan (Shannon RFC/Munster), Matthew Devine (Corinthians RFC/Connacht),Cormac Foley (Lansdowne FC/Leinster), Hugh Gavin (Galwegians RFC/Connacht), Jack Murphy (Clontarf FC/Ulster), Tommy O'Brien (UCD RFC/Leinster), Sean O'Brien (Clontarf FC/Munster), Ben O'Connor (UCC RFC/Munster), Andrew Osborne (Naas RFC/Leinster), Jude Postlethwaite (Banbridge RFC/Ulster), Sam Prendergast (Lansdowne FC/Leinster),Rob Russell (Dublin University FC/Leinster), Zac Ward (Ballynahinch RFC/Ulster/Ireland Sevens).
Wednesday, 2 October: Emerging Ireland v The Pumas, 3pm Sunday, 6 October: Emerging Ireland v Western Force, 12pm Wednesday, 9 October: Emerging Ireland v The Cheetahs, 6pm.
