Search icon

Rugby

15th Jan 2016

Garry Ringrose and Jared Payne selections tee up exciting Six Nations scenario

If only

Patrick McCarry

This could be an exciting Irish backline.

Leo Cullen has finally bowed to the inevitable and put Garry Ringrose in for his first Champions Cup start. It is just a coincidence, surely, that Luke Fitzgerald has a shoulder stinger.

The talented 20-year-old starts at outside centre for Leinster in their final Champions Cup home game of the season.

Elsewhere in the XV, Ross Molony and Peter Dooley will make their European debuts while the likes of Sean O’Brien and Johnny Sexton.

Ulster welcome back Jared Payne, meanwhile, and they have popped him straight back into the starting line-up.

Payne returns at full-back. This is the position that suits the Kiwi best and he may challenge Rob Kearney for the Ireland No.15 jersey in the Six Nations.

This opens up the possibility of an Irish backline looking like this: Payne; Trimble, Ringrose, Henshaw, Zebo; Sexton, Murray.

Ulster director of rugby Les Kiss has been forced to re-jig his back row after knocks to Nick Williams and Chris Henry. Roger Wilson starts at No.8 for the Saracens game while Sean Reidy is openside.

ULSTER: J Payne; A Trimble, L Marshall, S McCloskey, C Gilroy; P Jackson, R Pienaar; K McCall, R Best (c), W Herbst; A O’Connor, F van der Merwe; R Diack, S Reidy, R Wilson;

Replacements: R Herring, C Black, R Lutton, C Ross, S Reidy, P Marshall, I Humphreys, R Scholes.

Simon Zebo 24/11/2015

Anthony Foley has made a few tweaks to his Munster team to face Stade Francais.

Ronan O’Mahony is named on the left wing with Billy Holland coming in at blindside. 20-year-old prop Liam O’Connor is named on the bench.

There was a late change on the bench as fit-again Niall Scannell replaced fellow hooker Kevin O’Byrne.

Munster: Simon Zebo; Keith Earls, Francis Saili, Rory Scannell, Ronan O’Mahony; Ian Keatley, Conor Murray; Dave Kilcoyne, Mike Sherry, Mario Sagario; Dave Foley, Mark Chisholm; Billy Holland, Tommy O’Donnell, CJ Stander (c).

Replacements: Niall Scannell, Liam O’Connor, John Ryan, Donnacha Ryan, Robin Copeland, Jack O’Donoghue, Tomás O’Leary, Lucas Gonzalez Amorosino.

The FootballJOE quiz: Were you paying attention? – episode 10