RUGBY NEWS:LEINSTER'S HEINEKEN Cup fixture away to Saracens will take place at Wembley Stadium and will be the first tournament match to be staged at the home of English soccer.
The 2009 champions take on Saracens in their Pool Two, round-two clash on Saturday, October 16th (kick-off 5.45pm).
Wembley was completely redeveloped on the original site at a cost of €960 million and reopened in 2007. Wembley is the second biggest stadium in Europe behind Barcelona’s Camp Nou.
Saracens normally play their home games at Vicarage Road in Watford but have switched to Wembley which will be more lucrative with the increased capacity.
Leinster Rugby will learn in the next couple of weeks what their allocation will be for the Heineken Cup fixture.
Elsewhere, John Muldoon has been retained as Connacht captain for the new season. Coach Eric Elwood confirmed the news yesterday. Muldoon led the province to the Amlin Challenge Cup semi-final last season.
Muldoon also put in a man-of-the-match performance for the Ireland against the Barbarians but sustained an untimely injury when he broke his arm playing against the All Blacks on the summer tour.
Elwood has retained the majority of his squad from last year. Cillian Willis replaces the retired Kieran Campbell, Ezra Taylor comes in for the departed George Naoupu and young stars Darragh Fanning and Shane Monahan also join the ranks.
In Ulster new Springbok signings Johann Muller and Pedrie Wannenburg are set to feature in Friday’s pre-season friendly against Bath at Ravenhill (7.30pm). The South African duo were named in Brian McLaughlin’s initial 25-man squad.
ULSTER SQUAD (v Bath) – Forwards:TJ Anderson, T Barker, N Brady, R Caldwell, R Diack, W Faloon, D Fitzpatrick, A Kyriacou, A Macklin, J Muller, P McAllister, N McComb, P Wannenburg, B Young; Backs:D Cave, I Humphreys, P Marshall, L Marshall, M McCrea, N O'Connor, I Porter, T Seymour, J Smith, N Spence, I Whitten.
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