MAGNERS LEAGUE TEAM NEWS:ULSTER COACH Matt Williams has named an extended 26-man squad ahead of Saturday's Magners League game against the Glasgow Warriors at Ravenhill. He is without Irish internationals Paddy Wallace and Stephen Ferris, but is able to call on captain and hooker Rory Best and prop Tom Court, both of whom were among the replacements at Croke Park last weekend.
Fijian wing Timoci Nagusa has been included for the first time since damaging a hamstring, and his presence would provide the home side with a real cutting edge.
South African number eight Robbie Diack and New Zealander Paul Steinmetz are out injured.
Ulster lie four points behind Glasgow in the table and will be looking to put behind them a hugely disappointing performance against the Dragons at Rodney Parade last time out.
“I was very unhappy with our last performance,” Williams admitted. “We cannot talk our way out of it, or make excuses. We need a performance against Glasgow, and nothing but 100 per cent will do. Our focus is to take back the points we lost against Dragons, and show what we are really capable of.”
The Ulster squad also contains South African-born Italian international Carlo del Fava and a man with whom Ireland supporters are about to become better acquainted during Saturday week’s Six Nations match at Murrayfield, wing Simon Danielli.
A try-scorer and man-of-the-match in Scotland’s victory over Italy last weekend, Danielli will assist his Irish province before then relishing the opportunity to run out against team-mates past and present in Edinburgh the following weekend.
“I played with (Ireland winger) Tommy Bowe throughout last year before his move from Ulster to Ospreys,” the Scot pointed out. “If Tommy is selected I’d be chomping at the bit to play against him, and the same applies to a couple of other guys who I know particularly well from the club.”
Danielli (29), who scored his sixth try in his 18th cap last weekend, was a model of diplomacy.
“A lot of the players in both squads know each other well from playing in the Magners League. But I might expect to be asked about my team-mates at Ulster and I’ll try to come up with insights even if, at this level, there aren’t too many weaknesses to exploit.”
Johnny O’Connor, a try-scorer in an A interprovincial for Connacht last week, has been named in the senior squad for the league game against Cardiff at the Sportsground tomorrow night. The 29-year-old has recovered from a calf injury that had sidelined him since December. Fellow backrow forwards Colm Rigney and Mike McCarthy are out injured, as is centre Niva Ta’auso.
Their opponents, Cardiff, one place above Connacht in the table in second last, travel without Welsh internationals Leigh Halfpenny, Tom Shanklin, Jamie Roberts, Andy Powell, Martyn Williams, Bradley Davies, Gethin Jenkins and John Yapp. Flanker Robin Sowden Taylor has been released from the national set-up.
The Blues will have fond memories of the reverse fixture earlier this season, which they won 58-0.
Keith Matthews has agreed a three-year deal with Connacht. The 26-year-old former underage international has become a regular in the province’s backline.
Meanwhile, former Leinster hooker David Blaney has signed an extension to his contract with English Premiership side Bristol.
ULSTER SQUAD: Justin Fitzpatrick, Nigel Brady, Tom Court, Brendon Botha, Bryan Young, Ed O'Donoghue, Matt McCullough, Kieron Dawson, Carlo Del Fava, Chris Henry, David Pollock, Rory Best, Ryan Caldwell, Tom Anderson, Simon Daneilli, Darren Cave, Andrew Trimble, Cillian Willis, Niall O'Connor, Clinton Schifcofske, Ian Whitten, Isaac Boss, Ian Humphreys, Mark McCrea, Bryn Cunningham, Timoci Nagusa.
CONNACHT SQUAD: L Bibo, A Browne, F Carr, S Cronin, M Deane, G Duffy, A Dunne, A Farley, D Gannon, I Keatley, R Loughney, K Matthews, R Morris, C Muldoon, J Muldoon, F Murphy, T Nathan, J O'Connor, R Ofisa, C O'Loughlin, M Swift, B Wilkinson.
CARDIFF: B Blair; R Mustoe, J Robinson, C Sweeney, T James; N Robinson, J Spice; R Gill, T Rhys Thomas, G Powell; D Jones, S Morgan, M Molitika, R Sowden-Taylor, X Rush. Replacements: T Filise, G Williams, J Down, B White, R Rees, D Flannigan, C Czekaj.
