Lions on parade for Munster

JASON HOLLAND plays his 100th game for Munster in tomorrow night’s Celtic League tie with Edinburgh at Thomond Park (7.30pm).

And Denis Leamy rejoins the squad after a two-month injury lay-off.

The squad boasts three Lions, with Paul O’Connell and John Hayes starting, while Donncha O’Callaghan is on the bench, allowing Trevor Hogan a chance to strengthen his bid for Ireland’s tour to Japan.

Holland has been named at out-half in place of Paul Burke; Gordon McIlwham replaces Marcus Horan, while Paul Devlin is named on the right wing after an impressive centre performance in last week’s victory over the Borders. He replaces John Kelly.

Coach Alan Gaffney is also confident Leamy, who has not played since February, will get some game time.

“We have picked both Trevor and Denis on the basis that they have a serious chance of going to Japan.”

Horan and Jim Williams were not in the squad because they both have slight injuries.

“It was a tough call to exclude Stephen Keogh from the squad but Denis (Leamy) needs some exposure.”

Already assured of a second-place finish, Munster have also booked themselves a home quarter-final in the Celtic Cup in two weeks’ time.

Leinster have signed England and Wasps forward Will Green on a two-year deal from next season. The 31-year-old tighthead prop is the longest-serving player in the Wasps squad, after 13 years of service with the London club.

“I’m very excited about joining such a top-class outfit as Leinster. They are a top European side with many great players - six selected for the Lions says it all. I’m looking forward to experiencing a different way of doing things at one of the big Irish province teams and I hope I can get over there, get my head down, work hard and win silverware.”

Connacht and Ireland stalwart Eric Elwood will be inducted into the IRUPA (Irish Rugby Union Players Association) Rugby Hall of Fame.

Elwood has played 168 times for Connacht, a record number of games by any player for any province.

He made the transition from amateur to professional with ease due to his dedication and passion for the game and represented Ireland on 35 occasions, scoring 296 points.

Elwood made his international debut against Wales in 1993 and followed that up with superb performances to help defeat England in 1993 and 1994.

He also played in both the 1995 and 1999 Rugby World Cups and is retiring at the end of this season after 17 years in the green of Connacht & Ireland.

Niall Woods, chief executive of IRUPA, said: “I am delighted such a true great is to be inducted into the IRUPA Barker Hall of Fame. Having played alongside Eric on many occasions I saw first-hand the huge commitment he gave to rugby both on and off the pitch.”

Andy Ward is determined to give his all in one possible final fling at Ravenhill tonight when Ulster face the Llanelli Scarlets in the final Celtic League clash of a disappointing season.

Ulster need to avoid defeat by last season’s champions if they are to squeeze into the Celtic Cup, which they won last season.

But for 32-year-old Ward, a European Cup-winning hero, it could be a last time to play in front of the Ulster fans.

“It will be a very emotional night for me,” said Ward, who retires at the end of the season to take over the coaching duties at Belfast Harlequins.

“I have had so many highs at the ground and I will be giving 110% to make sure we finish with a win. I don’t want my last night at Ravenhill to end with a disappointing performance or result. But it is not just about me, it is about the team. I will be doing everything to keep things positive for the team and to make things happen. We want to finish the season with silverware,” said Ward who will be making his 118th appearance for the province.

ULSTER: B Cunningham, T Bowe, K Maggs, P Steinmetz, S Young, P Wallace, K Campbell, S Best, P Shields, R Moore, G Longwell, M McCullough, A Ward, G Pfister, R Wilson.

Replacements: N Doak, A Larkin, A Maxwell, R Best, R McCormack, R Frost, C Feather.

SCARLETS: B Davies; G Evans, T Selley, S Thomas, L Byrne; G Bowen, M Phillips; P John, M Rees, J Davies, V Cooper, A Jones, S Easterby (cap) A Powell, J Mills.

Replacements: R Davies, A Gravelle, C Wyatt, I Boobyer, D Peel, A Thomas, I Evans.

MUNSTER: S. Payne, P. Devlin, M. Mullins, R. Henderson, A. Horgan, J. Holland, P Stringer, G. McIlwham, F. Sheahan, J. Hayes, T. Hogan, P. O’Connell, A. Quinlan, A. Foley, D. Wallace.

Replacements: E. McGovern, J. Flannery, D. O’Callaghan, D. Leamy, P. Burke, M. Prendergast, J. Kelly.