Hogg Selects Ulster ‘A’ Side For Trip To Tipperary

Supporters will have to sign up as an Access Munster member for €4 to watch the Munster ‘A’ v Ulster ‘A’ fixture. Entry to the match at New Ormond Park is €10.

There are 10 changes in personnel to the Ulster ‘A’ from their first game. Senior prop Callum Reid and development lock Joe Hopes are the only two forwards retained in a pack that includes new Academy recruit Paddy Woods, the Australian-born Irish-qualified second row.

Hopes and the 18-year-old Woods will pack down behind a front row comprised of Reid, James McCormick, the scorer of nine tries for City of Armagh so far this season, and Academy tighthead Flynn Longstaff, the son of former Scotland international Shaun.

Lorcan McLoughlin, who played in Ulster’s most recent BKT United Rugby Championship win over Cardiff, will don the number 8 jersey, anchoring a back row that has Academy forwards James McKillop and Tom Brigg occupying the flanker berths.

Jake Flannery will have Conor McKee alongside him at half-back. McKee, Ben Carson, and McIlroy – three of the starters from that defeat of Cardiff in Belfast two weeks ago – will be on duty with the ‘A’ team in Tipperary.

The fit-again McIlroy comes in at full-back for Bradley McNamara, and also takes over the captaincy from John Andrew. Ben Moxham, another player who returned recently from an ACL injury, and Jonny Scott complete the back-three, with the Academy’s Wilhelm de Klerk partnering Carson in the centre.

Four Academy youngsters, one senior player, and four pathway talents make up the Ulster ‘A’ bench. Like Woods, Noah Bell, Owen O’Kane, and Jon Rodgers were all part of the Ireland Under-19 squad for their camp over the festive period at the IRFU High Performance Centre.

O’Kane, Rodgers, and Ben Moore are National Talent Squad players, with the latter two having won the Danske Bank Ulster Schools Senior Cup title with Wallace High School last year. Second row Bell has been an impressive performance for City of Armagh this season, scoring four tries.

Clark Logan and James Humphreys are the other replacements backs at Hogg’s disposal, and the forward cover is beefed up by Academy front rowers Jacob Boyd, Henry Walker, Division 1B’s joint-top try scorer with nine tries for Queen’s University, and Tom McAllister.