TEN Munster rugby players are included in the 35-man Irish squad that will travel to South Africa later this month to play in the Toyota Challenge.
Emerging Ireland will have a three day camp in the IRFU’s High Performance Centre in Dublin before flying to Bloemfontein to play against three Currie Cup sides – the Griquas, Pumas and Cheetahs.
The 10 Munster players included Calvin Nash, Thomas Ahern, Diarmuid Barron, Jack Crowley, Shane Daly, Antoine Frisch, John Hodnett, Alex Kendellen, Roman Salanoa and Josh Wycherley.
The squad contains four capped players Robert Baloucoune (2 caps), Caolin Blade (1 cap) Shane Daly (2 caps) and Max Deegan (1 cap) and three players who featured against the Māori All Blacks during the summer Ciaran Frawley, Joe McCarthy and Cian Prendergast.
Jamie Osborne and Thomas Ahern have both trained with the senior Ireland squad as development players.
Eight players featured in the Ireland U20 side that won a Six Nations Grand Slam in 2019 – Tom Clarkson, Brian Deeny, Jake Flannery, John Hodnett, Michael Milne, Scott Penny, Callum Reid and Dylan Tierney-Martin.
2022 U20 Six Nations Grand Slam winners James Culhane and Chay Mullins are included. James was named U20 Player of the Tournament while Chay has gone on to win a bronze medal at the Rugby World Cup Sevens in Cape Town.
Andrew Smith also played for Ireland 7s in last weekend Rugby World Cup Sevens in South Africa. The former Ireland U20 has played in seven World Series tournaments and won an Energia AIL title with Clontarf this year.
Simon Easterby, Emerging Ireland head coach, commented, “The coaching group are really excited about working with this squad and broadening the selection pool for the national team.
“We will look to replicate the national team environment and training intensity, so players get a good understanding of what it takes to perform at the highest level. The players will have to adapt to the national team’s tactical and technical approach in a very short window of time and deal with the pressure of performing in a green jersey.”
Emerging Ireland squad
Backs: Robert Baloucoune (Ulster/Enniskillen), Caolin Blade (Connacht/Galwegians), Jack Crowley (Munster/Cork Constitution), Shane Daly (Munster/Cork Constitution), Nathan Doak (Ulster/Banbridge), Jake Flannery (Ulster/Shannon), Antoine Frisch (Munster), Ciaran Frawley (Leinster/UCD), Michael McDonald (Ulster), Ethan McIlroy (Ulster/Queens RFC), Stewart Moore (Ulster/Malone), Chay Mullins (Connacht/IQ Rugby), Calvin Nash (Munster/Young Munster), Jamie Osbourne (Leinster/Naas), Andrew Smith (Leinster/Clontarf).
Forwards: Thomas Ahern (Munster/Shannon), Diarmuid Barron (Munster/Garryowen), Tom Clarkson (Leinster/Dublin University), James Culhane (Leinster/UCD), Max Deegan (Leinster/Lansdowne), Brian Deeny (Leinster/Clontarf), John Hodnett (Munster/UCC), Sam Illo (Connacht), Cormac Izuchukwu (Ulster/Ballynahinch), Alex Kendellen (Munster/UCC), Joe McCarthy (Leinster/Dublin University), Michael Milne (Leinster/UCD), Scott Penny (Leinster/UCD), Cian Prendergast (Connacht), Callum Reid (Ulster/Banbridge), Roman Salonoa (Munster/Shannon), Alex Soroka (Leinster/Clontarf), Tom Stewart (Ulster/Ballynahinch), Dylan Tierney-Martin (Connacht/Corinthians), Josh Wycherley (Munster/Young Munster).