Ireland ‘A’ Squad Announced For Churchill Cup

The Ireland ‘A’ squad will again take part in the Barclays Churchill Cup tournament which this year will take place in Canada and the USA. The squad will be coached by IRFU High Performance Manager Allen Clarke and he has selected a squad with a blend of youth and considerable experience, with eight senior-capped players included.

The squad will be managed by John McKibbin and they will play three games during the tournament, kicking off against the USA on Wednesday, June 11.  

Ireland ‘A’ coach Allen Clarke said: “This tournament continues to be an important competitive environment to expose younger talent as well as those players in the broader international squad.

“The combination of this international experience with the youth in the squad promises to create competitiveness when it comes to selection.

“The last time the tournament was here (in the USA and Canada) in 2006, we had some good results where we left with the plate after a really tight contest with the England Saxons, so hopefully we can continue in that same vein.

“This year, playing a national side like the USA will be a test for the squad and equally the next game, which is only three days later against a Saxons squad with plenty of quality in it, will be a challenging experience for the players,” he added.

IRELAND ‘A’ SQUAD (2008 Barclays Churchill Cup tournament, USA and Canada, June 11-21):

FORWARDS (15) –

*Neil Best (Belfast Harlequins/Ulster)

Ryan Caldwell (Dungannon/Ulster)

*Bob Casey (London Irish)

Tom Court (Malone/Ulster)

Sean Cronin (Shannon/Munster)

*Stephen Ferris (Dungannon/Ulster)

Denis Fogarty (Cork Constitution/Munster)

Cian Healy (Clontarf/Leinster)

*Trevor Hogan (Shannon/Leinster)

Daragh Hurley (Cork Constitution/Munster)

*Johnny O’Connor (Corinthians/Connacht)

David Pollock (Dungannon/Ulster)

Michael Ross (Harlequins)

Donnacha Ryan (Shannon/Munster)

*Roger Wilson (Belfast Harlequins/Ulster)

BACKS (13) –

Gary Brown (Blackrock College/Leinster)

Darren Cave (Belfast Harlequins/Ulster)

Keith Earls (Garryowen/Munster)

Ian Humphreys (Leicester)

Denis Hurley (Cork Constitution/Munster)

*Kieran Lewis (Garryowen/Munster)

Keith Matthews (Buccaneers/Connacht)

Mark McCrea (Malone/Ulster)

Frank Murphy (Leicester)

Johne Murphy (Leicester)

Fergus McFadden (UCD/Leinster)

*Tomas O’Leary (Dolphin/Munster)

Johnathan Sexton (St. Mary’s College/Leinster)

Not considered:

Declan Fitzpatrick (Belfast Harlequins/Ulster)

Niall Ronan (Shannon/Munster)

Barry Murphy (UL Bohemians/Munster)

N.B. * Capped at full international level

Tour Management:

Allen Clarke – Coach

Assistant Coach – tbc

John McKibbin – Team Manager

George Murray – Video Analysis

Ray Egan – Fitness Advisor

Dr. Eanna Falvey – Doctor

James Allen – Physiotherapist

Johnny O’Hagan – Baggage Master

IRELAND ‘A’ TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE:

Wednesday, June 11, 2008: USA v Ireland ‘A’ at Richardson Stadium, Kingston

Saturday, June 14, 2008: Ireland ‘A’ v England Saxons at Fletchers Fields, Toronto

Saturday, June 21, 2008: Barclays Churchill Cup finals day at Toyota Park, Chicago 

All information for the tournament can be found on the tournament website: http://www.barclayschurchillcuprugby.com/