HENRY TO LEAD FROM THE FRONT
�Press Eye Ltd Northern Ireland -13th January 2012 Mandatory Credit - Picture by Darren Kidd/Presseye.com Heineken Cup Pool Four, Ulster v Leicester at Ravenhill. Ulster's Chris Henry is tackled by Leicester's Martin Castrogiovanni and Steve Mafi
ULSTER consistent backrow performer Chris Henry, will skipper the Irish Wolfhounds in Exeter tomorrow when they face England Saxons as the curtain opens on the Six Nations championship season.
Ireland have named a side with an interesting balance of youth and experience for the Shadow international with nine of the matchday 22 uncapped at senior level.
Henry will be joined up front by Ulster team mate, lock Dan Tuohy, another of the Province’s big performers this season. Both players and indeed the Ulster management had been left disappointed that they had not been included in the senior side ahead of the Six Nations championship.
In the backs, Ulster’s Nevin Spence will earn his third cap at this level when they young centre makes a timely return from injury.
Connacht fullback Gavin Duffy brings experience to the back three with David Kearney and Simon Zebo making their first experiences, while Spence will join O’Malley in what is a new centre partnership.
There is also a new partnership at half back, but there is a wealth of experience in the two key positions, with Ian Keatley and Isaac Boss both starting.
In the pack, Damien Varley starts at hooker and beside him experienced Connacht loose head prop Brett Wilkinson packs down with Stephen Archer, who has recently broken into the Munster match squad and been part of his province’s Heineken Cup run.
Mike McCarthy partners Tuohy in the engine room, row with Connacht’s John Muldoon the most experienced player in the squad at this level with 10 Wolfhounds caps joined in the backrow by Henry who starts at openside and debutant Wolfhound, Rhys Ruddock starts at No 8.
Wolfhounds Coach Eric Elwood is looking forward to the game and the challenge of playing a Saxons team that is packed full of premiership and European experience.
“The games against the Saxons are always highly competitive affairs as you would expect and results have tended to go with the home side, but I think we have a good mix in our side and the key message is that we have to match them on all fronts, especially in the physical stakes, to come away with a win.
England Saxons D Armitage (London Irish); U Monye (Harlequins), M Hopper (Harlequins), B Twelvetrees (Leicester), M Banahan (Bath); F Burns (Gloucester), B Spencer (Saracens); M Mullan (Worcester), J Gray (Harlequins), P Doran-Jones (Northampton), M Garvey (London Irish), G Robson (Harlequins), J Gaskell (Sale, captain), A Saull (Saracens), T Waldrom (Leicester).
Replacements: C Brooker (Harlequins), R Harden (Gloucester), K Myall (Sale), T Johnson (Exeter), P Hodgson (London Irish), R Lamb (Northampton), J May (Gloucester).
IRISH WOLFHOUNDS: Gavin Duffy (Galwegians/Connacht); David Kearney (Lansdowne/Leinster), Eoin O’Malley (Old Belvedere/Leinster), Nevin Spence (Ballynahinch/Ulster), Simon Zebo (Cork Constitution/Munster), Ian Keatley (Young Munster/Munster), Isaac Boss (Terenure College/Leinster); Brett Wilkinson (Galwegians/Connacht), Damien Varley (Garryowen/Munster), Stephen Archer (Cork Constitution/Munster), Dan Tuohy (Ballymena/Ulster), Mike McCarthy (Buccaneers/Connacht), John Muldoon (Galwegians/Connacht), Chris Henry (Malone/Ulster), capt, Rhys Ruddock (St. Mary’s College/Leinster).
Replacements: Mike Sherry (Garryowen/Munster), Ronan Loughney (Galwegians/Connacht), Devin Toner (Lansdowne/Leinster), Kevin McLaughlin (St. Mary’s College/Leinster), Tomas O’Leary (Dolphin/Munster), Ian Madigan (Blackrock College/Leinster), Denis Hurley (Cork Constitution/Munster).
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Tuesday 29 May 2012
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