RUGBY:ULSTER COACH Brian McLaughlin has included Dan Tuohy (facial wound), Johann Muller (leg) and Simon Danielli (hamstring) in an extended 33-man squad for tomorrow night's clash with Leinster at the RDS. The trio suffered injuries in Ulster's Heineken Cup quarter-final defeat against the Northampton Saints last Sunday and are considered doubtful.
Tighthead prop Declan Fitzpatrick misses out but there is a place in the squad for centre Darren Cave whose season has been greatly curtailed by a hamstring problem. Conor Gaston, Tommy Seymour and Neil McComb are also included.
The province confirmed Australian-born, Ireland-qualified fullback Adam D’Arcy has signed a two-year contract extension that will keep him at the club until 2013. The 25-year-old arrived in Belfast last summer on a two-week trial, impressing sufficiently to be handed a one-year deal. He has made 20 appearances to date, scoring three tries.
D’Arcy, whose grandfather hails from Tipperary, admitted: “I’ve enjoyed my time here so far and think I’ve learned a lot and experienced a lot. I’m really looking forward to the next two years. It took me a little while to settle . . . but since I’ve had the chance to cement my place in the team I’ve really enjoyed playing for Ulster and with guys like Andrew Trimble and Rory Best who are international calibre players.”
Fellow fullback Jamie Smith has agreed to join Newport Gwent Dragons in the summer on a three-year contract. The 22-year-old has made 16 appearances for Ulster.
ULSTER SQUAD: J Cronin, T Court, BJ Botha, P McAllister, B Young, R Best, N Brady, A Kyriacou, R Caldwell, N McComb, D Tuohy, J Muller, T Barker, P Wannenburg, TJ Anderson, W Faloon, C Henry, R Diack, R Pienaar, P Marshall, I Humphreys, N O’Connor, I Whitten, N Spence, P Wallace, D Cave, A Trimble, S Danielli, T Seymour, C Gilroy, C Gaston, J Smith, A D’Arcy.
