Rugby:Brian McLaughlin has welcomed back his full complement of Ireland internationals for Ulster's trip to Cardiff in the Magners League this Friday.
Stephen Ferris, Rory Best, Paddy Wallace, Andrew Trimble and Tom Court were all named in an extended 30-man squad by the Ulster coach this morning.
With Ferris and Best the only two involved in Ireland’s last two Six Nations matches, it would be no surprise if they are afforded an extra week off while the others are likely to be pressed back into action at the earliest opportunity.
Ulster, currently nine points outside a play-off berth, travel to Wales desperately needing a win to keep their season alive but, having lost their last five matches against the Blues, need to reverse a losing trend.
Cardiff’s Xavier Rush, meanwhile, is looking forward to taking on his new club this weekend. Rush will join Ulster at the end of the season and is relishing the opportunity to test himself against his future teammates.
"I know their forwards will try and give it to me a bit and I'll probably want to prove a few points as well, so there'll be a bit on it," he said yesterday. "I don't want to go out there and have a shocker, so I'll be doing my best and hopefully put in a pretty good display."
Ulster squad:Jamie Smith, Paul Marshall, Simon Danielli, Darren Cave, Ian Whitten, Timoci Nagusa, Ian Humphreys, Niall O'Connor, Isaac Boss, Paddy Wallace, Andrew Trimble, Michael Heaney, Jonny Shiells, Mark McCrea, Declan Fitzpatrick, Bryan Young, BJ Botha, Nigel Brady, Andi Kyriacou, Ed O'Donoghue, Dan Tuohy, Ryan Caldwell, Chris Henry, Tom Court, Stephen Ferris, Robbie Diack, TJ Anderson, Neil McComb, David Pollock, Rory Best
