ULSTER’S WEEKEND medical bulletin in the fall-out from their win over Connacht boded ill for Saturday’s daunting Heineken Cup opener against big-spending Clermont Auvergne at Ravenhill (kick-off 3.40pm), but coach Brian McLaughlin yesterday named captain Johann Muller (forearm), Stephen Ferris (ankle) and Tom Court (knee) among his provisional squad of 31 and all remain in contention to play.
The barnstorming runs of Ferris are integral to Ulster’s hopes of causing an upset, such is his talismanic impact on team-mates and home crowd alike, and along with him, the hugely influential Rory Best made his first appearances of the season after an equally stellar World Cup.
All Black prop John Afoa also made an impressive 60-minute debut in that game and if Muller, organiser-in-chief at lineout and restart time, and Court are also fit to play it gives Ulster every chance of maintaining Clermont’s losing run in Ireland, which stands at five.
Seated tickets for Saturday’s game are now limited, but there is still availability to the Promenade and Terrace, which can be bought through ulsterrugby.com.
Afoa was one of Ulster’s two supplementary players for the competition, along with Stefan Terblanche, and Connacht have supplemented Kyle Tonetti from English Premiership club Sale Sharks. The 24-year-old former Blackrock College centre joined Sale last season where he earned 14 Premiership caps and scored a try against this week’s Heineken Cup opponents Harlequins.
Tonetti has represented Ireland at under-19 and under-20 level and was part of the 2007 under-20 Six Nations Grand Slam-winning team alongside current Connacht players Andrew Browne, Paul O’Donohoe, TJ Anderson and Niall O’Connor.
A former pupil of St Gerard’s in Bray, Kyle joined the Leinster Academy in 2007 and spent two years professionally contracted to the province, earning 21 Leinster A and 3 senior caps, the last against Connacht in April 2010 at the Sportsground.
Tonetti’s contract will see him play at the Sportsground until at least the end of the 2011/12 season.
“I’m really looking forward to working with Kyle again,” said Eric Elwood, “having known him since the ’07 U20s team that won the Six Nations and I’m sure he will fit nicely into the squad.”
The injured Keith Matthews has been de-registered and another interesting supplementary player confirmed by the ERC yesterday was Springboks World Cup winning captain John Smit, who has added to the strong South African connections at Saracens.
Leinster yesterday announced the partnership deal which will see audit, tax and business advisory firm BDO become their official business adviser. Speaking at the launch, Leinster flanker-cum-lock Kevin McLaughlin likened the opener against Montpellier to last season’s corresponding fixture against the debutants, albeit at the RDS. “I didn’t play in either of the (Racing) games, but I remember the build-up was all about how in the French Top 14 they pick the biggest possible pack they can and try to bully you. We know we are going to have to be very physical, especially in their own backyard, and try to move them about; try and play our high-tempo game.”
ULSTER SQUAD (v Clermont): Forwards – P McAllister, C Black, T Court, J Afoa, A Macklin, D Fitzpatrick, A Kyriacou, N Brady, R Best, L Stevenson, J Muller, D Tuohy, T Barker, N McComb, S Ferris, M McComish, P Wannenburg, W Faloon, C Henry, R Diack. Backs – P Marshall, I Porter, I Humphreys, P Jackson, P Wallace, N Spence, I Whitten, D Cave, C Gilroy, S Danielli, A Trimble, A D’Arcy.
CONNACHT SQUAD (v Harlequins) Backs – F Murphy, P O’Donohoe, N O’Connor, M Nikora, H Fa’afili, E Griffin, D McSharry, T O’Halloran, F Vainikolo, B Tuohy, M Jarvis, G Duffy. Forwards – B Wilkinson, R Loughney, R Ah You, D Rogers, A Flavin, E Reynecke, D Gannon, M Swift, M McCarthy, T Anderson, E Grace, J Muldoon, R Ofisa, G Naoupu.
