New Signing Browne To Start For Ulster

Ulster head coach Neil Doak has named an extended panel of 33 players for Friday night’s pre-season game against Leinster at Kingspan Stadium (kick-off 7.30pm).

New signing Peter Browne starts in the second row and will play his first game for Ulster. Sam Windsor and Paul Rowley, who also joined in the summer, are named as replacements, as are Ballymena’s Stephen Mulholland, who plays in the back row, and centre Mark Best of Belfast Harlequins. All four are also set to represent the province for the first time.

The team features a mix of youth and experience with established first team players such as Darren Cave, Craig Gilroy, Wiehahn Herbst and Franco van der Merwe named in the extended squad, alongside exciting young talent such as Jack Owens, Jacob Stockdale and Sam Arnold, who impressed for Ireland in this summer’s World Rugby U-20 Championship in Italy. 

The returning Willie Faloon, who rejoined Ulster in the summer from Connacht, is also named as a replacement.

Neil Doak believes the match will be a good test for his players ahead of the start of the GUINNESS PRO12 season which is now just two weeks away.

“It will be a great opportunity for everyone to get some game-time,” he said. “The guys have been working hard for the past eight weeks and the match will give us the chance to see the new signings play and to judge how the young guys that have come in are performing.

“With it being an interprovincial match and with potentially 14,000 people at the game, it will be a great atmosphere and a good way for us to warm up for the new season.”

Tickets for the Ulster v Leinster game are still available to buy online via ulsterrugby.com/tickets and will also be available to purchase on the gate.

The match will not be shown live, however highlights will be shown on BBC One Northern Ireland’s ‘Final Score’ programme on Saturday (5pm) and will be available on the BBC Sport NI website.

ULSTER (v Leinster): Jack Owens; Craig Gilroy, Darren Cave, Luke Marshall, Peter Nelson; Ian Humphreys, Paul Marshall; Ruaidhri Murphy, Rob Herring (capt), Wiehahn Herbst, Peter Browne, Franco van der Merwe, Clive Ross, Sean Reidy, Robbie Diack.

Replacements: Andrew Warwick, John Andrew, Ricky Lutton, Bronson Ross, Alan O’Connor, Dan Tuohy, Conor Joyce, Frankie Taggart, Willie Faloon, Stephen Mullholland, Paul Rowley, David Shanahan, Sam Windsor, Jacob Stockdale, Stuart McCloskey, Sam Arnold, Louis Ludik, Mark Best.