Provinces take full extra player allocations

Munster, Ulster and Leinster have all given steps up to inexperienced squad members in naming their additional players for the European knockout stages next month, as former provincial Heineken Cup winners Peter Stringer and Rocky Elsom boosted squads elsewhere.

All three provinces called up the maximum permissable number of players ahead of the quarter-finals with Munster head coach Rob Penney adding academy prop James Cronin, scrum-half Cathal Sheridan and centre Ivan Dineen to his selection options ahead of the April 7 Heineken Cup meeting with Harlequins at The Stoop.

All three Munster players have yet to make their European debuts, and there is a similar feel to Ulster’s call-ups ahead of the Twickenham quarter-final clash with Saracens on April 6, hooker Niall Annett, prop Andrew Warwick and wing Stuart Olding.