The Ireland Club XV and England Counties renew rivalries for the first time since 2014 as the Morgan Lennon and Johne Murphy-coached side look to make home advantage count in Cork on St. Patrick’s Day.
ULSTER BANK CLUB INTERNATIONAL MATCH: Friday, March 17
IRELAND CLUB XV v ENGLAND COUNTIES, Temple Hill, Cork Constitution FC, 7.30pm
Team News: The Ireland Club International team, captained by Lansdowne out-half Scott Deasy, will take on England Counties on St. Patrick’s Day at the home of Cork Constitution FC.
New coaches Morgan Lennon and Johne Murphy have named a strong starting line-up which includes six players who have played for the Ireland Club team already – Deasy, the Clontarf trio of Matt D’Arcy, Ben Reilly and Tony Ryan, Garryowen’s Neil Cronin and Sean Coughlan from Old Belvedere.
On the bench Paul Pritchard of Old Belvedere, Dublin University’s Paddy Finlay and Ger Sweeney of host club Cork Con have also earned their spurs in the Club International previously.
In total, there are nine clubs are represented in the selected matchday squad – Clontarf (5), Lansdowne (4), Cork Constitution (3), Dublin University (3), Garryowen (2), Old Belvedere (2), Young Munster (2), Terenure College (1) and Naas (1).
Pat Horgan, Head of SME Banking – South Midlands and West, Ulster Bank, commented: “We are delighted to be involved in the Ulster Bank Club International game this St. Patrick’s Day as our Irish Club representatives line out against the England Counties.
“The Club International further enhances Ulster Bank’s dedication to club rugby in Ireland as we enter an exciting weekend in the sport.
“Rugby clubs are the foundation of success for our national and provincial teams and as Official Community Rugby Partner to the IRFU, Ulster Bank is proud to continue our support of the grassroots game across Ireland.”
Ireland Club XV v England Counties tickets are available at the gate and are priced at €;20 for families, €;10 for adults and €;5 for students. Tickets can also be purchased at the following outlets: the Munster Rugby Ticket Offices at Irish Independent Park and Thomond Park, and Finns Corner, on the corner of Grand Parade & Washington Street. Credit cards not accepted.
Meanwhile, England Counties head coach James Shanahan has included three debutants in their squad to face the Ireland Club XV on Leeside.
Hayden King, Health Stevens and Jake Polledri all come into the matchday 23 with England hoping to make it two wins on the bounce having beaten the Scotland Clubs 45-28 at Birmingham Moseley RFC.
The side will once again be led by captain Keith Laughlin, a former Ards senior player, while Leo Fielding starts on the wing having scored twice in the win over Scotland. Hartpury’s Jake Polledri, who will join up with Aviva Premiership side Gloucester this summer, is set to make his debut off the bench.
England Counties are the flagship team of the community game in England and offer players from National League One and below the opportunity to represent their country.
IRELAND CLUB XV: Eamonn Mills (Lansdowne); Sean Coughlan (Old Belvedere), Michael Courtney (Dublin University), Matt D’Arcy (Clontarf), Rob Jermyn (Cork Constitution); Scott Deasy (Lansdowne) (capt), Neil Cronin (Garryowen); Vakh Abdaladze (Clontarf), Max Abbott (Cork Constitution), Ian Prendiville (Lansdowne), Willie Earle (Lansdowne), Ben Reilly (Clontarf), Alan Kennedy (Young Munster), Karl Moran (Clontarf), Tony Ryan (Clontarf).
Replacements: Paddy Finlay (Dublin University), Ger Sweeney (Cork Constitution), Eric O’Sullivan (Dublin University), Kyle McCoy (Terenure College), Andrew O’Byrne (Garryowen), Paul Pritchard (Old Belvedere), Rob Guerin (Young Munster), Peter Osborne (Naas).
ENGLAND COUNTIES: Mike Wilcox (Hartpury/Gloucestershire); James Stokes (Coventry/Eastern Counties), Markus Burcham (Blackheath/Kent), Heath Stevens (Coventry/East Midlands), Leo Fielding (Blackheath/Gloucestershire); Joe Tarrant (Amptill/Eastern Counties), Pete White (Coventry/East Midlands); Trevor Davison (Blaydon/Durham), Matt Miles (Old Albanians/Hertfordshire), Dan Pullinger (Plymouth/Devon), George Oram (Birmingham Moseley/Kent), Nile Dacres (Plymouth/Devon), Keith Laughlin (Blaydon/Northumberland) (capt), Jack Preece (Birmingham Moseley/Gloucestershire), Tom Baldwin (Blackheath/Kent).
Replacements: Ted Stagg (Caldy/Cheshire), Hayden King (Old Albanian/Hertfordshire), James Litchfield (Coventry/Warwickshire), Jake Polledri (Hartpury/Gloucestershire), Harry Bate (Old Albanians/Hertfordshire), Dave Brazier (Birmingham Moseley/North Midlands), James Williams (Birmingham Moseley/Dorset & Wilts), Sam Baker (Ampthill/East Midlands).
Referee: Keith Allen (Scotland)
Assistant Referees: Eddie Hogan O’Connell, Robert O’Sullivan (both Ireland)
Pre-Match Quotes – Ben Reilly (Ireland Club XV): “It’s great, as an amateur player, to be given the opportunity to represent your country. There’s obvious a bit of added significance this week with it being on Paddy’s Day and being against England.
“Everyone growing up wants the opportunity to play against the white shirts. Also, just in terms of the Ulster Bank League, having played in the league for a number of years it’s great to show the talent and the quality that’s in the league against a similar team from England.
“One of the nice things about playing in this team is that you’re playing with a bunch of players from around the country. As a group of players we want to represent the league well and represent the country well.”
Matt Long (England Counties): “The new guys have integrated into the squad very well. The key for us is trying to keep up that momentum from the Scotland game.
“We know that Ireland will present a challenge, particularly with it being St. Patrick’s Day, but we have prepared very well and the players are excited about pulling on the white shirt again.”
Ireland Club XV: Recent Matches –
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
2016: France Federale 12 Ireland Club XV 16, Stade Jules Ladoumègue, Massy; Ireland Club XV 13 Scotland Club XV 19, Temple Hill, Cork Constitution FC
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