Tyrone Howe and Frank Sheahan on Ireland A Side

02/04/02.Tyrone Howe returns to the Ireland A side for Fridays international against France in La Roche Sur Yon. A win for the Irish will give them their first grand slam at this level

Frank Sheahan drops to the side for the first time since coming on as a replacement in the A international against Scotland in Myreside in March ’99 while Alan Quinlan is ruled out with a knee injury, his place going to Ballymena’s Tony McWhirter.

Ireland. (v France, Friday, April 5th at 8pm (local time).
Paddy Wallace (Ulster/Ballymena); Anthony Horgan (Munster/Cork Constitution), Mike Mullins (Munster/Young Munster), Jason Holland (Munster/Midleton), Tyrone Howe (Ulster/Dungannon): Paul Burke (Harlequins), Neil Doak (Ulster/Belfast Harlequins); Reggie Corrigan Capt. (Leinster/Lansdowne), Frank Sheahan (Munster/Cork Constitution), Simon Best (Ulster/Belfast Harlequins);
Leo Cullen (Leinster/Blackrock College), Bob Casey (Leinster/Blackrock College); Tony McWhirter (Ulster/Ballymena), Andy Ward (Ulster/Ballynahinch),
Victor Costello (Leinster/St. Mary’s College).

Replacements: 16 – Gavin Hickie (Leinster/St. Mary’s College), 17 – Marcus Horan (Munster/Shannon), 18 – Mick O’Driscoll (Munster/Cork Constitution), 19 – Johnny O’Connor (Connacht/Galwegians), 20 – Brian O’Meara
(Leinster/Cork Constitution), 21 – Jeremy Staunton (Munster/Garryowen), 22 – Gordon Darcy (Leinster/Lansdowne).