Thursday, December 19, 2024

Emerging Ireland: Easterby rings the changes for game with Western Force

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Emerging Ireland head coach Simon Easterby has made a raft of changes to his starting team for Sunday’s game against Western Force [12:00 BST] in Bloemfontein, with Ulster centre Jude Postlethwaite among those drafted in.

The squad began their three-match tour to South Africa with a 36-24 victory over the Pumas on Wednesday and will conclude their itinerary with a fixture against the Cheetahs on Wednesday [18:00 BST].

Captain Alex Kendellen is one of two players retained in the starting pack against the Australian side and is joined in the back row by Sean Jansen and Alex Soroka.

Cormac Izuchukwu, a try-scorer on Wednesday afternoon, moves to the second row alongside Conor O’Tighearnaigh, while another try-scorer from the opening game, hooker Gus McCarthy, starts in a new-look front row alongside Alex Usanov and Ronan Foxe, who all featured as second-half replacements last time out.

In the back line, Sam Prendergast retains his place at fly-half and will partner scrum-half Ethan Coughlan.

Sean O’Brien shifts to left wing in a back three which will see first appearances for full-back Andrew Osborne and Ireland Sevens Olympian Chay Mullins, who starts on the right wing, while Postlethwaite forms a new midfield combination alongside Hugh Cooney.

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