Sevens star Zac Ward will get a chance to impress soon-to-be interim national 15s coach Simon Easterby before playing a competitive match for Ulster after being named to start for Emerging Ireland against the Pumas in Bloemfontein on Wednesday.
Ward, who featured for Ireland at the Paris Olympics in August, is on trial with his home province and played in both of Ulster’s pre-season friendlies against Benetton and Exeter, retiring early from the latter with a groin injury. That kept him out of the running for Ulster’s United Rugby Championship opener against Glasgow and he linked up with Easterby’s squad in South Africa rather than play in the province’s defeat to the Lions in Johannesburg on Saturday.
The son of former Ulster captain and Ireland international Andy Ward is named on the left wing and is joined in the Emerging Ireland side by two provincial team-mates, Harry Sheridan and Cormac Izuchukwu, both of whom came off the bench in the second half to make telling impacts in Ulster’s comeback victory over Glasgow.
Sheridan will partner Connacht’s Darragh Murray in the second row with Izuchukwu selected at blindside flanker in a back row completed by Leinster number eight James Culhane and Munster openside Alex Kendellen, who captains the side.
Two Ulster backs have been named among the replacements, with centre Jude Postlethwaite and fly-half Jack Murphy – son of Ulster head coach Richie – on the bench.
All three of Emerging Ireland’s matches take place at the Toyota Stadium in Bloemfontein and after facing the Pumas on Wednesday (3pm), they will play Australians Western Force on Sunday, October 6 and the host side, the Cheetahs, on Wednesday, October 9.
“The three games will ask different questions of the group and that is exactly the kind of environment we want to foster and to see how the players react to a pressurised and competitive environment. We had a good pitch session on Monday afternoon and the players are itching to get out there,” said Easterby, who will take over as interim senior coach after next month’s autumn internationals to allow Andy Farrell to concentrate on his role as British and Irish Lions boss.
“We will be managing our resources given the close proximity of the games and it’s a younger and less experienced group than the one that competed two years ago. But the talent, energy and enthusiasm of this group has been obvious over the course of the last six days. We’re delighted to be here in Bloemfontein and the squad is ready to get going.”
