Cork Con’s Kenneally named as Ireland Club team captain for Scotland test

CORK CONSTITUTION CENTRE Niall Kenneally will captain the Ireland Club team in the first of two games against their Scottish counterparts in Edinburgh on Friday night [KO 7.30pm].

Kenneally is one of nine players retained from last year, as head coach Morgan Lennon blends experience with seven debutants in his starting XV for the Myerside Stadium clash. 

Starting alongside Kenneally in midfield is Clontarf’s Matt D’Arcy, who is set for a record eighth start for the Ireland Club team.

Jack Keating will make his debut on the left wing while Lansdowne’s Dan McEvoy and Eamonn Mills complete the back three.

Garryowen hooker Liam Cronin will make his first start in the pack with the experience of Lansdowne’s Ian Prendiville and Old Wesley’s Cronan Gleeson either side of him.

There is a new second row pairing with Brian Hayes and Conor Kindregan named in the engine room, as two of six players from Division 1A leaders Cork Con. 

Terenure College’s Michael Melia –man of the match against Scotland in Dublin last year — switches from the second row to the back row for this game where he packs down with Joe McSwiney and debutant Luke Cahill. 

Morgan Lennon and Johne Murphy. Source: Tommy Dickson/INPHO

Tom O’Reilly and Michael Noone are the experienced forwards among the five on the bench while Alan Bennie, Callum Smith and Michael Brown will be hoping to make their debuts if called upon by Lennon and assistant coach Johne Murphy.

The sides will meet again at Donnybrook in the return fixture on Friday 8 February, with the Dalriada Cup going to the side with the higher aggregate score in the two-game series.

Ireland Club XV:

15. Eamon Mills (Lansdowne)
14. Dan McEvoy (Lansdowne)
13. Niall Kenneally (Cork Constitution)(captain)
12. Matt D’Arcy (Clontarf)
11. Jack Keating (Old Belvedere)
10. Aidan Moynihan (Cork Constitution)
9. John Poland (UCC)

1. Cronan Gleeson (Old Wesley)
2. Liam Cronin (Garryowen)
3. Ian Prenderville (Lansdowne)
4. Brian Hayes (Cork Constitution)
5. Conor Kindregan (Cork Constitution)
6. Michael Melia (Terenure College)
7. Joe McSwiney (Cork Constitution)
8. Luke Cahill (Cork Constitution).

Replacements:

16. John Sutton (Buccaneers)
17. Tom O’Reilly (St Mary’s College)
18. Andrew Keating (Garryowen)
19. Jack O’Sullivan (Lansdowne)
20. Michael Noone (Clontarf)
21. Alan Bennie (Lansdowne)
22. Callum Smith (Malone)
23. Michael Brown (Clontarf). 

Join us to preview the Six Nations with Simon Zebo, Murray Kinsella and Gavan Casey on Thursday @7pm in Liberty Hall Theatre Dublin.