Twelve months on from a 37-12 home defeat, Ireland’s Ulster Bank League stars will have revenge on their minds when they meet the France Fédérale team on French soil for the first time. Tonight’s game is being streamed live by the FFR.
CLUB INTERNATIONAL MATCH: Friday, February 12
FRANCE FEDERALE v IRELAND CLUB XV, Stade Jules Ladoumègue, Massy, 7pm local time/6pm Irish time
France Fédérale v Ireland Club XV Live Stream par FFR
Team News: Players from ten different Ulster Bank League clubs have been named in the Ireland Club international side by head coach Paul Cunningham for this evening’s fixture against France Fédérale in Massy, Paris.
Lansdowne and Clontarf, last season’s Ulster Bank League Division 1A finalists, have four representatives each in the side which will be again be captained by Clontarf centre Matt D’Arcy.
Old Belvedere, Garryowen, UCD, Cork Constitution and Ballynahinch are the other teams from Division 1A supplying players. Division 1B sides Ballymena, St. Mary’s College and Dublin University will have six representatives between them.
Garryowen winger James McInerney, club skippers Stephen Murphy (UCD) and Scott Deasy (Lansdowne) come into the back-line that started last year’s 37-12 loss to the French in Dublin, while Lansdowne prop Ian Prendiville and Ballynahinch flanker Paul Pritchard are the only forwards retained in a new-look starting pack.
The selected squad is something of a ‘family affair’ as Ireland captain D’Arcy’s brother Adrian is among the replacements, and Ciaran Ruddock and Neil Cronin – brothers of senior internationals Rhys Ruddock and Sean Cronin – are also included on the 23-man panel.
Returning head coach Paul Cunningham (Old Belvedere) is joined by assistant coach Mark McHugh (Lansdowne) and team manager Seamus McDermott (Garryowen).
The Ireland Club international side takes on France Federale at 7pm local time/6pm Irish time before facing their Scottish counterparts at Temple Hill in Cork on Friday, March 18 (kick-off 7.30pm).
Meanwhile, the France Fédérale team represents the best amateur club players in the country and they have a number of starters back from 2015, including scrum half and captain Paul Dubert.
Their back-line is quite a settled unit with full-back Mael Moinot and out-half Stéphane Guenin the only new introductions. Up front, returning front rowers Philippe Rodriguez and Nicolas Kwarazfelia and flanker Damien Costanzo all started the Aviva Stadium clash twelve months ago.
While the French side can count on that experience, they do have two new coaches on board this season – Olivier Laurent and Benjamin Boyet – and they had 19 newcomers training as part of a refreshed 34-man squad last month.
FRANCE FEDERALE: Mael Moinot (US Bressane, Lyonnais); Pierre Lafitte (Avenir Valencien, Midi Pyrénées), Kévin Burgaud (Vannes, Bretagne), Thomas Anies (Céret, Pays Catalan), Stéphane Bonvalot (Nevers, Bourgogne); Stéphane Guenin (Libourne, Côte d’Argent), Paul Dubert (US Tyrosse, Côte Basque Landes) (capt); Jérôme Martinez (US Tyrosse, Côte Basque Landes), Philippe Rodriguez (US Tyrosse, Côte Basque Landes), Nicolas Kwarazfelia (Blagnac, Midi Pyrénées), Kevin Kahn (US Tyrosse, Côte Basque Landes), Jonathan Giraud (US Bressane, Lyonnais), Kévin Boukechiche (Céret, Pays Catalan), Damien Costanzo (Périgueux, Périgord Agenais), Damien Gateau (Saint Jean d’Angely, Poitou Charentes).
Replacements: Pierre Trassoudane (Castanet, Midi Pyrénées), Thierry Berhabe (FC Oloron, Béarn), Jean Baptiste Lagain (US Tyrosse, Côte Basque Landes), Mohamed Kbaier (Valence Agen, Midi Pyrénées), Yann Dessis (Langon, Côte d’Argent), Djamel Ouchene (Libourne, Côte d’Argent), Etienne Quiniou (US Bressane, Lyonnais), Morgan Le Bourhis (US Bressane, Lyonnais).
IRELAND CLUB XV: Daniel Riordan (Old Belvedere); James McInerney (Garryowen), Stephen Murphy (UCD), Matt D’Arcy (Clontarf) (capt), Mark Roche (Lansdowne); Scott Deasy (Lansdowne), Angus Lloyd (Dublin University); Ian Prendiville (Lansdowne), Eddie Rossiter (Old Belvedere), Declan Lavery (Old Belvedere), Ciaran Ruddock (St. Mary’s College), David Whann (Ballymena), Charlie Butterworth (Lansdowne), Paul Pritchard (Ballynahinch), Tony Ryan (Clontarf).
Replacements: Max Abbott (Cork Constitution), Ger Sweeney (Cork Constitution), Ivan Soroka (Clontarf), Connor Smyth (Ballymena), Adrian D’Arcy (Clontarf), Neil Cronin (Garryowen), Jack McDermott (Dublin University), Rodger McBurney (Ballymena).
Referee: Emmanuele Tomò (Italy)
Ireland Club XV: Recent Matches –
2013: Ireland Club XV 30 England Counties 20, Temple Hill, Cork Constitution FC; Scotland Club XV 30 Ireland Club XV 18, Millbrae, Ayr RFC
2014: Ireland Club XV 28 Scotland Club XV 3, Temple Hill, Cork Constitution FC; England Counties 22 Ireland Club XV 23, Northern Echo Arena, Darlington Mowden Park RFC
2015: Scotland Club XV 23 Ireland Club XV 18, Netherdale, Gala RFC; Ireland Club XV 12 France Federale 37, Aviva Stadium
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