Irish get timely boost ahead of pivotal clash

RUGBY - HEINEKEN CUP:LONDON IRISH received a timely boost ahead of Saturday's pivotal Heineken Cup clash with Leinster at Twickenham with the news that wingers Sailosi Tagicakibau and Topsy Ojo and Samoan backrow George Stowers could be available following injury.

Tagicakibau, the Exiles’ leading try scorer this season has not played since fracturing an ankle against Harlequins on October 31st but has been back in full training for the past fortnight. Ojo has not featured at all this season having had knee and shoulder surgery during the summer. They would give Irish a greater cutting edge out wide as both are very quick and proven try scorers.

London Irish coach Toby Booth admitted: “He (Tagicakibau) has done two weeks’ training now so I hope that potentially he is able to figure in some capacity. You want your best players playing and he is there or thereabouts in relation to starting playing.

“Topsy is probably in the same position. He has not played for a while. Adrenalin gets you through so much, but then again some of the boys who have played in that position have done very well.”

Stowers returned to training this week for the first time since damaging an ankle while on duty for Samoa.

London Irish captain Bob Casey and England fullback Delon Armitage were excused from the second session of training on Tuesday because they were nursing slight injuries.

Scrumhalf Paul Hodgson has no doubt about the magnitude of the task for the home side as they try and topple the reigning European champions.

“It’s a massive challenge for us. Leinster are flying at the moment and they are a formidable side.

“They will be coming for the win and we are in no doubt as to how tough it will be. It will be one of the toughest games this team has faced, a truly monumental task. Leinster probably played a little bit below par when we played them over there.

“We will just be looking to put in a performance that will give us a chance to win and then what will be will be after that. We’ll embrace the challenge and we’re looking forward to it.”

Meanwhile, Ulster coach Brian McLaughlin has named an unchanged 27-man squad, for Saturday’s clash with Bath at the Recreation Ground, a match from which the visitors must take five points if they are to have any chance of making the knockout stage of the tournament.

Even then they would require Stade Français not to take a single point from their trip to Edinburgh.

McLaughlin pointed out: “We said one of our aims at the start of the season was to be heading into our final pool game in the European Cup, with something to play for, and that’s exactly what we have done.

“So all credit to the players. They have done that and they deserve to be going to Bath with something major at stake.

“Hopefully, with a good week under us and confidence levels built even higher, we can go across there and get that elusive win on English soil.

“An away win in Europe is something we need in order to take our belief in ourselves up to the next level and to let others see that we are a team thats steadily improving.”

ULSTER SQUAD: Bryan Young, Tom Court, Andy Kyriacou, Nigel Brady, Brendon Botha, Declan Fitzpatrick, Ed O’Donoghue, Ryan Caldwell, Neil McComb, Stephen Ferris, Chris Henry, Dan Touhy, Willie Faloon, Thomas Anderson, David Pollock, Clinton Schifcofske, Timoci Nagusa, Simon Danielli, Andrew Trimble, Ian Whitten, Darren Cave, Paddy Wallace, Ian Humphreys, Isaac Boss, Jamie Smith, Niall O’Connor, Cillian Willis.