Temple Hill Set For International Clash

Ireland Club coaches Tom Tierney and Mick O’Driscoll have finalised the first XV side to take on their Scotland counterparts in Temple Hill this Friday, 7th February (kick-off 7.30pm).

The squad includes Constitution’s Gerry Hurley who leads from the front alongside fellow Munster club players Ger Slattery (Young Munster), Christy Condon (Dolphin) and Willie Ryan (Cork Constitution) who are all included in the starting line-up. Sean Walsh (Cashel), James Ryan (Cork Constitution) and Neil Cronin (Garryowen) are named amongst the replacements.

Speaking ahead of the match Ireland Captain Gerry Hurley says it is an honour for his club to host the fixture and is confident his side will seek revenge following their 30-18 defeat to the Scots the last time they met at Millbrae last March.

“Its great for Cork Con. In fairness they’ve done a lot of work on the clubhouse and the facilities and the organization throughout the whole club is excellent. They put on a great show last year so they probably deserved to get the fixture again.”

“Last year we had a good win in Cork but we let ourselves down badly over in Scotland so we’ll be looking to make amends for that. The crowd was brilliant last year and hopefully it will be the same on Friday night. The support gives you a great lift and as a player you always want to put on a good show for the crowd", he added.

Ireland will hope to complete a clean sweep against Scottish opposition following last weekend’s convincing victories in the national men’s, women’s and U20’s side and Hurley says his side are well prepared for the challenge.

“There’s always been very good coaches involved with the Ireland Clubs and this year is no exception. We have Tom Tierney (head coach) and Mick O’Driscoll (assistant coach), two former Ireland international players and their experience and coaching knowledge is invaluable.”

Players from nine different Ulster Bank League clubs have been included in the Ireland Club side. Lansdowne, the reigning Ulster Bank League Division 1A champions have four representatives in the starting line-up, while current table toppers Clontarf and Old Belvedere are rewarded with two starters apiece.

Clontarf's Michael McGrath, who currently leads the Division 1A try-scoring charts with 10 tries, starts on the left wing.

Backs Cian Aherne, Stuart Morrow and captain Hurley all started against Scotland last time out, while Colm McMahon and William Ryan are the only survivors in the pack. Charlie Butterworth and Sam Cronin were on the bench for the 2013 fixture.

“We all very familiar with each other”, said Hurley. “We meet up on Sunday morning’s for training in Portlaoise and you could be after a fairly hard battle with some of the fallas the day before in the AIL. Even though there are a lot of new faces in the squad this year we still know each other very well from playing against each other at club level.”

Speaking on squad selection, assistant coach Mick O’Driscoll says it can be challenging due to the high stanard of talented club players throughout the country. “It is a difficult team to pick and there will be guys who are disappointed, guys who weren’t in the broader squad who were disappointed but that’s a reflection possibly of the good level of club rugby, particularly Division 1A, that’s there at the moment.”

The Scotland Club XV represents the best players currently playing club rugby in Scotland. Heriot’s second-row Murray Douglas, 24, will captain the Scotland Club International team.

Scotland Club International head coach, Phil Leck, said: “Murray is a very calm player who leads by his actions. He is very talented and has led our lineout's in training, plus the players have a lot of respect for him. That coupled with his experiences last year makes him an ideal fit for the captaincy.”

The second-row will be joined by 16 debutants throughout the match-day 23, with ten in the starting XV and six on the bench. They are Edinburgh Accies’ Nyle Godsmark, Heriot’s George Turner, Aberdeen Grammar’s Erlend Oag, Gala’s Chris Auld and Ewan McQuillin, Melrose’s Richard Mill (pictured), Ayr’s George Hunter and Callum Templeton and Stirling County’s Will Bordill and Jamie Swanson.

On the bench, Gala’s Rory Sutherland and Grant Somerville, Ayr’s Nick Cox and Fergus Scott, Glasgow Hawks’ Andrew Redmayne and Stirling County’s Stuart Edwards, could win their first caps.

Leck continued: “We have a quick back-row and an exciting back-line that will be looking to keep the tempo of the match high.

We have a strong squad here and know we will be up against a physical Ireland side who will carry hard and be tough in defense.

“However, we will aim to play to our strengths and if we do that, I believe, we’ll be in for a good match.”

As Temple Hill prepare to hos the fixture Cork Constitution President Ian O’Leary said "We are delighted to welcome the two teams to Temple Hill for this special occasion for Cork rugby”.

"It promises to be a great evening for all the family with some of the best players from the club game involved. We hope to see thousands of supporters in Cork Con on Friday night."

Match Day Information

Gates open at 6pm.

Tickets: €;10 Adult / €;5 Student / €;20 Family (2 Adults & 2 Kids)

Tickets can be purchased at the ticket booth outside the grounds. There will be stewards to assist patrons on the night , and to ensure that the event runs smoothly and safely, please respect their requests.
There will be no car parking in Temple Hill on the night. Match patrons are requested to respect residents by not parking on the double yellow lines outside local housing estates.

Ulster Bank Club International Squad to play Scotland Clubs

15. Danny Riordan (Old Belvedere RFC)
14. Cian Aherne (Lansdowne FC)
13. Stuart Morrow (Ballynahinch RFC)
12. Mark Roche (Lansdowne FC)
11. Mick McGrath (Clontarf FC)
10. David Joyce (Clontarf FC)
9. Gerry Hurley (Cork Constitution FC) capt

8. William Ryan (Cork Constitution FC)
7. Charlie Butterworth (Lansdowne FC)
6. Willie Earle (Lansdowne FC)
5. Fergal Walsh (Terenure College RFC)
4. Dean Moore (Old Belvedere RFC)
3. Christy Condon (Dolphin RFC)
2. Ger Slattery (Young Munster RFC)
1. Colm McMahon (St. Mary's College RFC)

Replacement
16. Tyrone Moran (Lansdowne FC)
17. Ian Hirst (Clontarf FC)
18. Declan Lavery (Old Belvedere RFC)
19. Sean Walsh (Cashel RFC)
20. James Ryan (Cork Constitution FC)
21. Neil Cronin (Garryowen) / Sam Cronin (Clontarf FC)
22. Ritchie McMaster (Queens RFC)
23. Barry Daly (UCD)

Ulster Bank Club International Management

Tom Tierney – Head Coach
Mick O'Driscoll – Assistant Coach
Seamus McDermott – Team Manager
Nicola Lyons – Squad Co-ordinator
Alan Hickey – Baggage Master
John Philpott – Team Doctor
Ailbe McCormack – Physio
Eugene McEntagert – Strength & Conditioning Coach

2014 Ulster Bank Club International Squad Fixtures

IRELAND Club International Team v Scotland Clubs
Temple Hill, Cork Constitution RFC; 19:30
Friday 7th February, 2014

England Counties v IRELAND Club International Team
Mowden Park, Newcastle; 19:30
Friday 21st February, 2014