Jordi Murphy to bring firepower for Ulster PRO14 debut
Ireland’s Jordi Murphy makes his Ulster PRO14 debut tonight when Edinburgh visit the Kingspan Stadium.
Murphy will add more firepower to the Ulster back-row where he is joined by Marcell Coetzee and the dynamic Nick Timoney. Ireland hooker Rob Herring leads the side as he gets his first run-out of the season in a side that includes prop Ross Kane, and lock Kieran Treadwell who will partner Iain Henderson in the engine room. Henderson along with Murphy and Herring were all part of Ireland’s successful trip to Australia. But now with fresh talent beginning to swarm all around him, the 26-year-old forward is beginning to look over his shoulder at emerging talent.
“There are a fair few new faces but I’ve been really impressed by everyone who’s come in,” said Henderson. “I was really impressed how the pre-season was running. Guys were training and staying true to it since I came back in, and it’s been great. It’s been a real change of atmosphere.
“Training has been a lot more competitive, and I think the players coming in and the young lads now are really pushing for places immediately. They’re really asking big questions of the guys that have been there for a long time. That’s what we need,” said Henderson who is no doubt that Edinburgh will be looking to win in Belfast.
They put us under serious pressure last year, we know they’re a good side and they’ll be coming over here looking to right their wrong from last week. All we can do is stick to our game, believe in what we’ve been doing.
Meanwhile Ulster and Ireland scrum-half John Cooney signed a new three-year contract yesterday that will keep him at the Kingspan Stadium until June 2022. He moved
to
from Connacht to Ulster at the start of last season to fill the giant void left by the departing Ruan Pienaar.
W Addison; C Gilroy, D Cave, S McCloskey, H Speight; B Burns, J Cooney; A Warwick, R Herring (capt), R Kane , K Treadwell, I Henderson, M Coetzee, J Murphy, N Timoney.
A McBurney, E O’Sullivan, W Herbst, A O’Connor, S Reidy, D Shanahan, A Curtis, A Kernohan.
B Kinghorn, D Fife, M Bennett, M Scott, T Brown; S Hickey, H Pyrgos; P Schoeman, S McInally, WP Nel, B Toolis, G Gilchrist, L Hamilton, J Ritchie, V Mata.
R Ford; A Dell, M McCallum, F McKenzie, L Crosbie, S Kennedy, J van der Walt, J Johnstone.
