Club International Preview: Ireland Club XV v Scotland Clubs

Purchase Tickets for Ireland Club XV v Scotland Clubs

MEN’S CLUB INTERNATIONAL MATCH:

Friday, February 13 –

IRELAND CLUB XV v SCOTLAND CLUBS, Energia Park, 6.30pm (live on irishrugby+)

Team News: Led by head coach Adam Craig and captain Jack Kelleher for a second successive year, the Ireland Club XV squad features strong representation from across the top tiers of the Energia All-Ireland League Men’s Divisions.

Talented back rower Kelleher brings leadership and experience to the Ireland Club international team, having led them last year against Portugal ‘A’ and been a key figure in Cork Constitution’s success in recent seasons.

Tonight’s eagerly-awaited clash at Energia Park will see the teams compete for the Dalriada Cup, which was last contested between Ireland and Scotland in 2020 and won by the Irish side.

14 members of Ireland’s victorious 2025 squad are set to play again, with eight different Energia All-Ireland League clubs represented, including Division 1B’s Instonians whose captain David Whitten features on the bench.

Kelleher is one of six players retained in the starting XV, along with Ballynahinch duo Conor Rankin and Bradley Luney, Clontarf’s Conor Kelly and Fionn Gilbert, and Young Munster prop David Begley.

Former professionals Sean French and Aaron Sexton fill the wing berths, keen to impress in the green jersey after strong performances at club level. There are plenty of tries in the back-line, with Aran Egan (8 tries), Myles Carey (8), and Sexton (7) all high up in Division 1A’s scoring charts.

Carey from top-flight leaders St. Mary’s College will combine in the centre with Egan, the versatile Terenure College back who was involved in the Ireland Club XV’s 2024 victory over Portugal.

Cork Constitution’s Adam Maher will partner Kelly, a key figure in Clontarf’s Division 1A title success last season, at half-back, while Bobby Sheehan, younger brother of Leinster and Ireland star Dan, and Luke Masters are promoted from last year’s bench to pack down with Begley.

‘Tarf lock Gilbert pairs up with Terenure’s Sean Rigney, joining Kelleher and Kelly as a starter in the team for the third year. St. Mary’s ace Ronan Watters will make his Club international debut in the back row, alongside Kelleher and Luney.

Claytan Milligan, Adam Tuite, and Sam Owens are set to earn their first Ireland Club XV caps as replacements, while the bench options available to head coach Craig, who is assisted by Emmet MacMahon and Ger Slattery, are completed by the returning Whitten, Marcus Hanan, Bailey Faloon, Tadhg Bird, and Adam La Grue.

In addition, four travelling reserves will accompany the squad, who were presented with their jerseys last night by former Ireland senior international and St. Mary’s own Jack McGrath. That quartet features Lansdowne scrum half Jack Matthews, and forwards Tom O’Reilly (St. Mary’s), Max Russell (Terenure), and Will McDonald (Old Belvedere).

Meanwhile, Bob McKillop’s Scotland Clubs selection is made up of players who represented their district in the Inter-District Championships, blending youth and experience for the showdown in Donnybrook.

Blair Macpherson will captain the side in his fourth campaign at Club international level. The influential number 8 is one of six players included from current Scottish Premiership champions Ayr, who are unbeaten and dominating the competition again this season.

Macpherson’s club-mate Tim Brown and Heriot’s skipper Ruairidh Leishman will start alongside him in the back row, and the tight five is made up of Jack Dobie, Struan Cessford, Hawick hook Fraser Renwick, Oscar Baird, and Melrose lock Angus Runciman.

In the back-line, Andrew Mitchell and Gregor Christie provide a link back to the Scotland Clubs’ most recent trip to Dublin in February 2020 when they were beaten 22-17 in the Dalriada Cup away leg.

Centre Mitchell and Currie Chieftains scrum half Christie both started that game, while the Ireland Club XV squad back then contained Peter Claffey, who has since moved into acting and is the lead in ‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’, the HBO prequel to ‘Game of Thrones’.

Kelso’s Dwain Patterson will link up with Christie at half-back tonight, there is an Ayr-Hawick centre partnership between Bobby Beattie and Mitchell, and vice-captain Glenn Bryce helms a back-three that has Ben Pickles and Jamie Shedden out wide.

IRELAND CLUB XV: Conor Rankin (Ballynahinch RFC); Sean French (Cork Constitution FC), Myles Carey (St. Mary’s College RFC), Aran Egan (Terenure College RFC), Aaron Sexton (Ballynahinch RFC); Conor Kelly (Clontarf FC), Adam Maher (Cork Constitution FC); David Begley (Young Munster RFC), Bobby Sheehan (Lansdowne FC), Luke Masters (Cork Constitution FC), Sean Rigney (Terenure College RFC), Fionn Gilbert (Clontarf FC), Jack Kelleher (Cork Constitution FC) (capt), Ronan Watters (St. Mary’s College RFC), Bradley Luney (Ballynahinch RFC).

Replacements: Claytan Milligan (Ballynahinch RFC), Marcus Hanan (Terenure College RFC), Adam Tuite (Terenure College RFC), Bailey Faloon (Young Munster RFC), David Whitten (Instonians RFC), Sam Owens (Clontarf FC), Tadhg Bird (Clontarf FC), Adam La Grue (Terenure College RFC).

SCOTLAND CLUBS: Glenn Bryce (Stirling County RFC); Jamie Shedden (Ayr RFC), Andrew Mitchell (Hawick RFC), Bobby Beattie (Ayr RFC), Ben Pickles (Selkirk RFC); Dwain Patterson (Kelso RFC), Gregor Christie (Currie Chieftains); Jack Dobie (Melrose RFC), Fraser Renwick (Hawick RFC), Struan Cessford (Heriot’s Rugby), Angus Runciman (Melrose RFC), Oscar Baird (Ayr RFC), Ruairidh Leishman (Heriot’s Rugby), Tim Brown (Ayr RFC), Blair MacPherson (Ayr RFC) (capt).

Replacements: Elliot Young (Heriot’s Rugby), Jamie Drummond (Ayr RFC), Dan Gamble (Kelso RFC), Ruaraidh Hart (Stirling County RFC), Sam Wallace (Heriot’s Rugby), Euan McKirdy (GHA RFC), Callum Anderson (Selkirk RFC), Archie Barbour (Kelso RFC).

Referee: Cai Lewis (WRU)

Pre-Match Quotes: Jack Kelleher (Ireland XV) – “I’m really excited, really looking forward to it. We have home advantage this year, obviously Scotland having to come over and travel to us, and then the advantage of having your family and your friends and team-mates being able to go up and get to the game as well.

“I think you can see the AIL growing in terms of getting the crowds through the gates again, like they were back in the golden days of the league, and like if we can get a big crowd out on Friday night, that’ll certainly give us a lift.

“I’m lucky in a way that with the amalgamation of the AIL teams, it’s almost like you get the natural leaders across the board from all sides so I’m sure I won’t have a hard job (captaining the team).

“Because there’s plenty of leaders and captains there from their own club sides, but then it’’ a huge honour for myself. For all of us even to represent our family, our clubs, our country, and to do it on home soil where everyone can get behind us as well is brilliant.”

Bobby Sheehan (Ireland XV) – “I really enjoyed it and we had two good sessions (at the last training camp in the HPC). I think luckily for myself, I’ve been involved the last few years (with the Club international side). A lot of the squad is the same.

“Obviously there’s new faces in every year, but I’ve got to know a lot of the lads quite well over the last two years. So getting back in, you can leave your clubs behind pretty quickly and then everybody’s mates there once they get in. It’s been great.

“Playing for the Ireland Club XV is something I really enjoyed doing the last few years. Then at the start of the season, it’s something that you’re aiming towards. You want to make sure that you’re going to be in the team, because it’s always a great weekend to build up to. It’s always good.”

Ireland Club XV v Scotland Clubs: Previous Meetings –

2006: Ireland Club XV 30 Scotland Clubs 13, Donnybrook

2007: Scotland Clubs 18 Ireland Club XV 11, Meggetland, Boroughmuir RFC

2008: Ireland Club XV 20 Scotland Clubs 15, Donnybrook

2009: Scotland Clubs 31 Ireland Club XV 18, Myerside, Watsonians RFC

2010: Ireland Club XV 21 Scotland Clubs 18, Donnybrook

2011: Scotland Clubs 30 Ireland Club XV 32, Netherdale, Gala RFC

2012: Ireland Club XV 26 Scotland Clubs 21, Anglesea Road, Old Belvedere RFC

2013: Scotland Clubs 30 Ireland Club XV 18, Millbrae, Ayr RFC

2014: Ireland Club XV 28 Scotland Clubs 3, Temple Hill, Cork Constitution FC

2015: Scotland Clubs 23 Ireland Club XV 18, Netherdale, Gala RFC

2016: Ireland Club XV 13 Scotland Clubs 19, Temple Hill, Cork Constitution FC

2018: Ireland Club XV 26 Scotland Clubs 23, Dubarry Park, Buccaneers RFC; Scotland Clubs 35 Ireland Club XV 26, Netherdale, Gala RFC

2019: Scotland Clubs 9 Ireland Club XV 23, Netherdale, Gala RFC; Scotland Clubs 19 Ireland Club XV 19, Energia Park

2020: Scotland Clubs 17 Ireland Club XV 39, Netherdale, Gala RFC; Ireland Club XV 22 Scotland Clubs 17, Energia Park