RUGBY: Uncapped London Wasps tighthead prop Peter Bracken will tour New Zealand and Australia with the full Irish squad next month as a replacement for Ulster captain Simon Best who was officially withdrawn yesterday with a broken leg.
The 28-year-old Best had been in the form of his career this season, winning his 12th international cap as a replacement for John Hayes against Wales, but a bad injury sustained last Friday in Llanelli gives the former St Andrew's College student an opportunity.
Both players toured Australia together with the unbeaten Irish schoolboys in 1996 when Bracken was a secondrow.
Considering Bracken recovered from a serious knee injury to become a regular in the Wasps frontrow this year, he was a surprise exclusion from the Churchill Cup A squad especially considering unknown Australian native Tom Court was selected.
The promotion brings the number of uncapped players in the squad to three, alongside Ulster prop Bryan Young and scrumhalf Isaac Boss.
A 16th forward, widely believed to be Alan Quinlan, will be named after the final round of Celtic League games.
Ireland play New Zealand on June 10th in Waikato Stadium and Auckland on June 17th before facing Australia in Perth on June 24th.
Meanwhile, Ulster have replaced Best with Justin Fitzpatrick, as Young moves to tighthead, for Friday's trip to Swansea to play the Ospreys at Liberty Stadium. Tyrone Howe, who is now officially retired, has been replaced on the bench by James Topping. The excellent openside wing forward Stephen Ferris has recovered from an ankle injury sustained last week and retains the number seven jersey.
Leinster coach Michael Cheika has named a 25-man squad for their game against the Edinburgh Gunners in Murrayfield.
Brian O'Driscoll and Cameron Jowitt return from injury and are expected to feature in the match-day 22.
O'Driscoll is particularly keen to get some game time before the Irish squad go into camp in Limerick this Sunday.
"I saw the specialist this morning and I'm hopeful to play on Friday," said the Irish captain. "These things take their time. They are right when they are right. I suppose the 10 days I had off has helped a huge amount, hopefully it will be fine for the game.
"I need to play for two reasons. Hopefully there is still a lot at stake and I need to get some match practice in before the small matter of going down to New Zealand. Those two things push you so even if it wasn't 100 per cent you'd still play with it."
Connacht complete their disappointing season at home to the Glasgow Warriors at the Sportsground on Friday, while European Cup champions Munster host the Cardiff Blues in Thomond Park on Saturday evening.
LEINSTER SQUAD
Forwards (14): W Green, R Corrigan, R McCormack, E Byrne, B Jackman, B Blaney, M O'Kelly, A Byrnes, D Toner, N Ronan, K Gleeson, J Heaslip, E Miller, C Jowitt.
Backs (11): G Easterby, B O'Riordan, F Contepomi, G Dempsey, B O'Driscoll (capt), K Lewis, S Horgan, D Hickie, G D'Arcy, R Kearney, J Hepworth.
ULSTER: B Cunningham; T Bowe; A Trimble; P Wallace; A Maxwell; D Humphreys, I Boss; J Fitzpatrick, R Best, B Young; J Harrison (capt), M McCullough; N Best, S Ferris, R Wilson. Replacements: N Brady, R Moore, R Caldwell, N McMillan, K Campbell, J Bell, J Topping.
