Kidney looks to extra cover for Dragons clash

MUNSTER coach Declan Kidney has named a 27-strong squad ahead of Friday night’s Magners League game against Newport Gwent Dragons at Rodney Parade, (6.10pm).

Kidney has gone for extra cover because of knocks picked up by Niall Ronan and Denis Fogarty but he is expected to reduce his squad to a travelling party of 24.

The squad will train in Limerick tomorrow and the starting line-up will then be announced sometime tomorrow.

Meanwhile, Young hopeful David Pollock gets his first start in a Magners League game when he lines out for Ulster for their trip to Murrayfield to face Edinburgh on Saturday night.

The former Ireland U-20 Grand Slam skipper is named at openside flanker in place of Keiron Dawson while coach Mark McCall brings back Wallaby lock Justin Harrison into the second row for Tim Barker and Bryn Cunningham returns in place of Mark Bartholomeusz.

Pollock, still only 20, was also captain of the Ireland U-19 and U-21 World Cup squads. He is an out-and-out openside forward with excellent ground skills and will almost certainly feature prominently this year.

McCall, who has employed the same 22 as last week with David Humphreys again sidelined with an ankle injury, is hoping that his side can build on their excellent opening win over holders the Ospreys last weekend.

“It is up to us to continue with the momentum of that win last week,” he said. “It was a very narrow win, but I was pleased with the attitude of the players and particularly with our defence who shut out a team with five internationals behind the scrum.

“Indeed, I felt we should have won more easier than the 17-16 suggests as we missed quite a number of scoring opportunities.

“It is not going to be easy, though. Playing at Murrayfield is not easy and even though Edinburgh lost to Leinster last week, they will be keen to get points on their home patch.”

MUNSTER SQUAD: S Payne, K Earls, I Dowling, A Horgan, K Lewis, R Tipoki, L Mafi, J Manning, P Warwick, D Williams, G Hurley, T O’Leary, F Pucciariello, Darragh Hurley, T Buckley, T Ryan, D Fogarty, S Cronin, M Essex, M Melbourne, M O’Driscoll, B Holland, N Ronan, T O’Donnell, D Sherry, J Coughlan, A Foley.

ULSTER: Cunningham; McCrea, Bowe, Mallon, Danielli; O’Connor, Campbell; J Fitzpatrick, Brady, Court, Harrison, Caldwell, McCullough, Pollock, Wilson, capt.

Replacements: Miles, D Fitzpatrick, Barker, Dawson, Marshall, Larkin, Bartholomeusz