United Rugby Championship: Ireland squad players available for Ulster's trip to Ospreys
- Published
Ireland squad members Tom Stewart and Nick Timoney have been made available to Ulster for this weekend's game against Ospreys
United Rugby Championship - Ospreys v Ulster |
|---|
Venue: Liberty Stadium, Swansea Date: Sunday, 18 February Kick-off: 15:00 GMT |
Coverage: Listen on BBC Sounds & BBC Radio Foyle; live text updates, report, reaction & highlights on BBC Sport website & app |
Ulster will have a number of their Ireland squad members available for Sunday's United Rugby Championship game against Ospreys at the Liberty Stadium.
Jacob Stockdale, Iain Henderson, Nick Timoney and Tom Stewart are all training with the province and are at head coach Dan McFarland's disposal.
"They bring an energy that is obviously around the Irish squad at the moment," said assistant coach Dan Soper.
Stuart McCloskey and Tom O'Toole will not feature in the URC fixture.
Ulster will return to action after a four-week break as they attempt to bounce back from the disappointment of exiting the Champions Cup in January after back-to-back defeats by Toulouse and Harlequins.
They sit fifth in the URC table, with Ospreys three points worse off in eighth spot.
"We have a few guys back and we will see how they have all gone today [Tuesday] and then sit down tomorrow after training and pick a team that best suits the needs of our team this weekend," explained Soper.
"They're great guys and we love having them about. We're tapping into that energy they bring [from the Ireland squad], seeing what they're doing down there and are there any wee things that we can pick up on.
"That's really important for us, that's how you keep continuing to grow. Whichever of them we pick this weekend we're sure they'll bring an energy for us."
Soper knows Ulster will face a formidable challenge against a team who have won six of their last seven matches at home.
"They're the form Welsh team at the moment and their record at home is really, really impressive. They're a team who really know what their game is and understand what they're trying to do and how they're trying to play.
"That in itself brings confidence to them so it's going to be a really difficult afternoon for us.
"You just have to look at the league table and every game is absolutely crucial now as it's so tight from second to 11th or 12th. Performing every week is going to be pretty crucial."