Connacht make three changes

MAGNERS LEAGUE:AFTER WEEK one the X-rated look of the Magners League table is not for faint-hearted Irish fans. After all four Irish sides lost their opening matches, Leinster sit in seventh place, Connacht eighth, champions Munster ninth and Ulster last. Doubtless it's a fleeting aberration but the sides will want to reassert themselves quickly.

To that end Connacht coach, Michael Bradley, has made three changes for his side’s away match against Edinburgh in Murrayfield.

Flanker Mike McCarthy, winger Aidan Wynne and prop Ronan Loughney have been drafted into the squad with injury ruling out Robbie Morris and Niva Ta’auso.

Ta’auso has fractured his hand and will have to undergo further tests this week to determine the extent of the damage, while Morris has a back injury, which forced him to retire in the opening game against Ospreys.

Ulster Under-20s team manager, John McKibbin also announced his team to play Leinster in the first game of this year’s Inter-provincial Championship at Donnybrook on Friday (7.0pm).

Ulster, coached this season by former international centre, Jonny Bell and Ballymena head coach John Andrews, have completed a gruelling schedule of warm-up games against AIL opposition including Queen’s, Ballynahinch, Instonians and Ballymena.

“We chose a far more demanding schedule of warm-up games than previous years to ensure that the players were fully aware of the pressure and challenges that they will face in the interpros,” said Bell. “Leinster, as ever, will be a very difficult team to beat but this Ulster team has a shown a lot of potential.”

CONNACHT (squad v Edinburgh): A Browne, F Carr, S Cronin, G Duffy, A Flavin, J Hagen, I Keatley, R Loughney, K Matthews, M McCarthy, M McComish, J Muldoon, F Murphy, T Nathan, M Nikora, J O’Connor, R Ofisa, C O’Loughlin, B Toughy, B Upton, B Wilkinson, A Wynne.

ULSTER UNDER-20 (squad v Leinster): R McBurney (Ballymena), P Irwin (Instonians), C Gaston (CAI), M Allen (Harlequins); K Moore (Ballymena); J McKinney (Queen’s); M Heaney (Harlequins), J Simpson (Banbridge), D Maxwell (Malone), A Warrick (Ballymena), P Marks (Instonians), S Mulholland (Cambridge House), J Burns (Ballymena), P Pritchard (Ballymena, capt), A Warwicker (CAI). Replacements: F Lynch (Ballynahinch), M Boyd (QUB), J Herron (Queens), C Stewart (Dungannon), M Lawton (Ards), M OConnor (City of Derry), J Nash (Ballynahinch)