MUNSTER COACH Tony McGahan has elected not to register a third hooker or any other previously unregistered player ahead of Sunday’s pivotal Heineken Cup clash with Toulon at the Stade Felix Mayol. The calf injury to Jerry Flannery which will rule him out for up to six weeks had allowed the province to de-register the Irish hooker and replace him with another player for the final two pool matches, if required.
McGahan chose not to pursue this option for the Toulon match, letting yesterday’s lunchtime deadline pass for this weekend but can still make an alteration to the 38- man European squad ahead of the final pool match against London Irish at Thomond Park on Saturday week.
The rules pertaining to the January matches in the tournament permit a team to de-register a player and replace him with another by the Tuesday lunch-time prior to the game in question. McGahan will be wrapping hookers Damien Varley and Mike Sherry in cotton wool for the remainder of the week.
Depending on the outcome of the Toulon match and any injuries sustained the Munster coach would be free to register for example, Marcus Horan, fellow prop Peter Borlase, utility back Barry Murphy or academy hooker Seán Henry, to name but four options.
ERC will today confirm the newly registered players – one per team for those who hadn’t yet taken up the option – a list that contains Saracens’ Welsh international Gavin Henson who is likely to see game time at the RDS on Saturday when the English club travel to face Leinster.
Meanwhile, Connacht have confirmed Jamie Hagan has agreed a new two-year contract. The 23- year-old Balbriggan-born tighthead has played 27 Magners League matches and 11 in the Amlin Challenge Cup since joining from the Leinster academy in 2009.
He was part of an Ireland team that won an Under 20 Six Nations Championship Grand Slam in 2007 under the current Connacht coaching axis of Eric Elwood and Dan McFarland. Hagan admitted: “I’ve really enjoyed myself here at Connacht and I’m really looking forward to playing with the province for the next two seasons.
“The set-up is very good here with all the facilities on-site and the coaches are very fair to work with; if you work hard you are rewarded.” His on-going presence at Connacht represents a significant coup because the 6ft 3in, 120kg tighthead is developing nicely, a progression that could bring senior international recognition in the future.
Elwood enthused: “We had followed Jamie’s progress as a young player, and obviously his involvement in the Ireland U20 side Grand Slam winning in 2007 proved his ability so we knew his pedigree.
“He has excelled here at Connacht and we are very pleased he has shown his commitment by signing a two-year deal. Jamie is a huge part of our squad and we look forward to working with him over the coming months.”
Hagan is the fourth player to commit to the province recently, joining Ulster duo Niall O’Connor and Mark McCrea as well as number eight George Naoupu, who rejoins Connacht following a short stint in Japan.
Ulster coach Bryan McLaughlin has named a 29-man squad for Saturday’s European clash with Biarritz Olympique at Ravenhill as the province bid to reach the knock-out stages of the European tournament for the first time since winning it in 1999. He has no injury concerns ahead of Friday’s team announcement.
Meanwhile, it seems reports of Leinster rugby’s move from their current Riverview base to the UCD-owned Philips building in Clonskeagh are accurate but no timescale has been put on a venture that would cost €2.5 million. The funds would be largely raised by private benefactors. Leinster’s existing administrative and training arrangements prevent them from commenting on the matter.
ULSTER SQUAD:T Court, D Fitzpatrick, J Cronin, B Young, BJ Botha, R Best, N Brady, A Kyriacou, T Barker, N McComb, D Tuohy, J Muller, TJ Anderson, C Henry, W Faloon, P Wannenburg, S Ferris, A D'Arcy, D McIlwaine, J Smith, M McCrea, A Trimble, S Danielli, P Wallace, N Spence, I Whitten, I Humphreys, P Marshall, R Pienaar.
