Rugby team news:Having had their hand forced by the serious and untimely injury to prop Stan Wright, Leinster have moved to strengthen their front row options with the signing of Ben Prescott.
The unheralded 32-year-old arrives from English championship side Nottingham and has put pen to paper on a one-year deal. Although born in Libya, Prescott actually qualifies for Ireland but has never been capped at any level.
Leinster will hope to have as much good fortune in their transfer dealings as they did in bringing Wright to the province in 2006. The Cook Islander, who will be out of action for six months after rupturing an Achilles tendon, arrived as a relative unknown but has gone on to prove an invaluable member of the Leinster set-up.
“We are pleased to complete a deal for Ben and he will add further competition to the pack, especially in light of the unfortunate long-term injury to Stan Wright,” team manager Guy Easterby said this afternoon.
“Ben trained with the squad this week and we are confident that his experience and ability will be a welcome addition to the panel for the remainder of the season.”
Prescott could be pressed into action as early as Friday night when last year’s beaten finalists open their Magners League campaign away to Glasgow. The new arrival is included in a 24-man squad alongside the likes of Ireland internationals Jamie Heaslip, Sean O’Brien and Luke Fitzgerald. Coach Josef Schmidt will name his starting line-up tomorrow afternoon.
In Munster, Marcus Horan and John Hayes have been named in an extend 27-man panel for their curtain-raiser with Magners League freshmen Aironi at Musgrave Park on Saturday night.
Denis Leamy is in line to lead the side on his first competitive appearance since last December while new recruits Johne Murphy, Sam Tuitupou and Wian Du Preez could all make their first league starts for Tony McGahan’s side.
Leamy is likely to come face to face with former Munster number eight Nick Williams, who left the province in the summer for the new Italian franchise.
Williams played 19 times for Munster during his two-year stay and scored a hat-trick of tries at Musgrave Park against the Dragons. And the big number eight has warned his former team-mates not to be complacent of the challenge they face on Saturday.
“The one thing that could be on our side is the unpredictability we have, because Munster haven’t seen us before,” said Williams.
“I think if we just disrupt the set pieces, I know we are capable of doing it, we just got to pick the right times. Stop their lineouts and their scrum from giving them the momentum and using their backs is our aim, and if we can compete in the ruck we can go long way,” he added.
Tommy Bowe, who secured a bonus point at his former home for the Ospreys last term, will not feature against Ulster this weekend. The Magners League player of the year has been left out of the squad as the champions, who have strengthened their panel considerably since May, begin their title defence.
Despite going under the knife twice over the summer, Jerry Collins returns to lead the Ospreys. The former All Black had knee and shoulder operations in the off-season and hadn’t been expected to make his comeback until October at the earliest.
“They make them different where I’m from!” he joked. “We are going to Ulster which is always a difficult place. They’ve made some big signings over the summer so it’s going to be a tricky start. I’m just thankful that I’m fit and may be able to play a part, as there are a few guys who aren’t going to be available for the first game.
“I’m paid to play rugby matches, and plenty of them at that, so I just want to get back out there with the shirt on and earn my money rather than sitting on the sidelines.”
Connacht coach Eric Elwood has a number of fitness concerns ahead of the westerner’s opening match against the Newport Gwent Dragons and has included youngsters Dermot Murphy, Aidan Wynne and Adam Kennedy in his 26-man squad to provide cover.
Sean Cronin and Gavin Duffy, both back from Ireland duty, are also named in the panel at this stage.
Ospreys(v Ulster): G Owen; N Walker, S Parker, A Bishop, R Fussell; D Biggar, Jamie Nutbrown; R Bevington, M Davies, C Mitchell; I Gough, I Evans; J Collins, M Holah, J Thomas. Replacements: H Bennett, P James, C Griffiths, J Goode, B Lewism R Webb, L Byrne, S Williams.
Glasgow(v Leinster): B Stortoni; DTH van der Merwe, M Evans, G Morrison, F Aramburu; R Jackson, H Pyrgos; J Welsh, F Thomson, M Low; T Ryder, R Gray; R Wilson, C Fusaro, R Vernon. Replacements: P MacArthur, E Kalman, R Grant, A Muldowney, R Harley, D Weir, H O'Hare, P Murchie
Leinster squad(v Glasgow): J Fogarty, M Galarza, J Heaslip, N Hines, S Keogh, J McGrath, S O'Brien, E O'Donoghue, B Prescott, M Ross, D Ryan, S Shawe, R Strauss, H van der Merwe, I Boss, L Fitzgerald, S Horgan, I Madigan, F McFadden, N Morris, I Nacewa, P O'Donohoe, E O'Malley, E Sheridan
Munster squad(v Aironi): D Hurley, F Jones, D Barnes, D Howlett, S Tuitupou, J Murphy, I Dowling, P Warwick, S Deasy, D Williams, P Stringer, W du Preez, Dave Ryan, M Horan, J Hayes, T Buckley, D Fogarty, D Varley, M O'Driscoll, I Nagle, B Holland, D Ryan, N Ronan, A Quinlan, P O'Mahony, T O'Donnell, D Leamy
Connacht squad(v Dragons): R Loughney, B Wilkinson, S Cronin, D Murphy, A Flavin, R Sweeney, J Hagan, D Nolan, M Swift, B Upton, M McCarthy, R Ofisa, M McComish, E Taylor, C Willis, A Kennedy, F Murphy, M Nikora, I Keatley, F Carr, K Matthews, N Taauso, T OHalloran, A Wynne, T Nathan, G Duffy.