Irish Rugby

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Connacht are boosted by the return of forwards Dylan Tierney-Martin and Darragh Murray for Friday's United Rugby Championship [URC] quarter-final away to Glasgow Warriors at Scotstoun [19:45 BST].

The pair represent two of five changes made by coach Stuart Lancaster for the last eight clash with Tierney-Martin replacing Eoin de Buitléar at hooker, while Sam Illo sin place of Finlay Bealham at tight-head prop.

In the second row, Joe Joyce drops out to accommodate Murray's return, while Paul Boyle comes in for the injured Sean Jansen at number eight in a back row that also contains team captain Cian Prendergast and Shamus Hurley-Langton.

The sole change in the backs sees John Devine in for the injured Harry West at outside centre and will play alongside Bundee Aki.

The half-back partnership of Ben Murphy and Josh Ioane remains, as does the back three of wingers Shayne Bolton and Shane Jennings, plus full-back Sam Gilbert.

Dave Heffernan is fit again for a place on the bench, while Sean O'Brien is named as the back row replacement Hugh Gavin takes the place of the unavailable Jack Carty on the bench.

"This is exactly where we wanted to be at the start of the season, so credit must go to all the players for what they've displayed in the last few months to get us to this position," Lancaster said.

"Now we have to go out there and seize the opportunity. Glasgow are a formidable opponent especially away from home, with an array of talented players who are very well coached, but we are excited by the challenge ahead of us."

Connacht: Gilbert; Jennings, Devine, Aki, Bolton; Ioane, Murphy; Bohan, Tierney-Marti, Illo, Murphy, Murray, Prendergast (capt.), Hurley-Langton, Boyle.

Replacements: Heffernan, Dooley, Bealham, Joyce, O'Brien, Devine, Gavin, Naughton.

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James Lowe will make his 100th appearance for Leinster in Saturday's United Rugby Championship [URC] quarter-final against the Lions at Aviva Stadium [20:00 BST].

The 33-year-old Ireland international was left out of the squad for last week's European Champions Cup final defeat by Bordeaux Begles but is one of six squad changes made by head coach Leo Cullen for this weekend's URC play-off clash against the South African club.

Lowe equalled Shane Horgan's all-time try-scoring record for Leinster - 69 - in his last outing comes back onto the wing with Rieko Ioane moving to centre where he will partner Jamie Osborne who also missed out on the Bilbao final.

Jimmy O'Brien is a straight replacement for Tommy O'Brien on the opposite wing, with Hugo Keenan retaining his place at full-back.

In a changed half-back pairing, Sam Prendergast comes in at fly-half with Luke McGrath at scrum-half as Harry Byrne and Jamison Gibson-Park drop to the bench.

In the forwards, Tadhg Furlong is the only change in the front row with Tom Clarkson dropping out, while in the second row, Joe McCarthy and James Ryan retain their places.

There are changes at flanker with Max Deegan at blind-side and Scott Penny in at open-side, while Caelan Doris retains his place at number eight where he will captain the side.

Leinster: Keenan; J O'Brien, Ioane, Osborne, Lowe; Prendergast, McGrath; Porter, Sheehan, Furlong, J McCarthy, Ryan, Deegan, Penny, Doris (capt.)

Replacements: G McCarth, Usanov, Clarkson, Mangan, Van der Flier, Gibson-Park, Byrne, Henshaw.

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Leinster have confirmed Ireland prop Paddy McCarthy has been ruled out for the remainder of their season after sustaining a foot injury in last weekend's Champions Cup final defeat by Bordeaux Begles in Bilbao.

McCarthy will be absent for Saturday's United Rugby Championship play-off quarter-final against the Lions at the Aviva Stadium (20:00 BST), as well as any semi-final or final that the Irish province may contest in the competition.

The 22-year-old could also be a doubt for Ireland's Nations Championship campaign this summer, with their opening fixture against Australia in Sydney scheduled for 4 July, just two weeks after the URC final.

The loose-head was forced to retire hurt just six minutes after being introduced as a replacement in the European showpiece and was seen on crutches after the game.

The Ireland forward was making his first appearance since January, having just returned from an unrelated injury to his other foot. McCarthy also missed the entirety of this year's Six Nations.

A squad update published by Leinster on Tuesday indicated Joshua Kenny and Brian Deeny have returned to full training and are available for selection this weekend.

No further updates were provided on the fitness of Ryan Baird, Jack Boyle, Will Connors, Hugh Cooney, RG Snyman and Charlie Tector.

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Ulster's dream of ending a 20-year wait for silverware was crushed in emphatic fashion as Montpellier produced a relentless display to win Friday's Challenge Cup final 59-26 in Bilbao.

The French side ran in nine tries to become the first team to score more than 50 points in a European final, condemning Ulster to another season in Europe's second tier.

When asked about the difference between the teams, Ulster boss Richie Murphy told BBC Sport NI: "A lot of power. I thought we started well going 7-0 up, a little mistake on an exit costs us seven points.

"We needed to get out ahead and we couldn't manage to do that. It was really difficult to play in the heat it cause a lot of slippy ball.

"We didn't want to make it a set piece game against one of the best teams in France and the world. We're a young side, we'll learn from this and move on. I can't fault the effort."

On his post-match message to the players, he added: "I haven't said too much in there really.

"We are two years into the club, we're moving in the right direction but it's tough, we can see areas around our scrum and line-out need to improve to compete at the top level."

Ulster winger Rob Baloucoune, who marked his return from injury with a well-taken try, said: ""Tough conditions coming into that as the first game back and the result is bitterly disappointing. We were looking to come out and come home with the cup and that wasn't the case.

"We knew they would be strong, they're second in the Top 14 and we came out strong, started well but let them into the game through easy mistakes.

"If you let a team like that into the game easily you're always going to be in the bad side of it."

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Centre James Hume says Ulster's players are "embracing" the chance to make history in the Challenge Cup final on Friday.

Richie Murphy's side face Montpellier in Bilbao as they look to end a 20-year trophy drought and also secure their place in next season's Champions Cup, having missed out through the United Rugby Championship [URC] with a ninth-place finish.

With no URC play-offs to look forward to, Friday represents the final act of Ulster's season and the opportunity to bring a first trophy back since the 2006 Celtic League success.

There have been some near misses since, with Hume part of the squad that lost out in the 2019-20 Pro 14 final, so the 27-year-old is keen to make up for that disappointment.

"I'm definitely embracing it," Hume said.

"Richie [Murphy, head coach] said just this morning, 'you have a chance to write your name in history'.

"I think it's my eighth season and there's times where you get really, really close, like the semi-final in 2022 [a last-gasp loss to the Bulls in South Africa]. The Pro 14 final during Covid - stuff just didn't go as we had planned.

"This is a massive opportunity for us to bring some silverware back home to Belfast, where there hasn't been since 2006, so we're buzzing for it."

After Friday's disappointment when a late Glasgow try saw the Scottish club claim a dramatic 26-22 win in Belfast, Ulster's eggs are firmly in Friday's Challenge Cup final basket if they want to play in next season's Champions Cup.

With a cup final to look forward to, Hume insists "you can't let that affect you too much" as they prepare to face the side sitting second in the Top 14.

The three-times capped Ireland international admits away defeats in the league against Scarlets and Ospreys "cost us" but the challenge of European rugby is one in which Ulster have produced some of their best moments this season.

"It seems that when we play in Europe against teams that aren't in our league [URC], we seem to play better rugby or it's like more enjoyable to attack against.

"French defences are a bit more erratic and not as organised as what the northern hemisphere rugby usually is within our league, so sometimes that presents different opportunities and maybe suits us a bit more, but we'll see in the weekend."

David Mohan
BBC Sport NI journalist

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Leinster centre Garry Ringrose feels it is "no surprise" former academy head Noel McNamara has enjoyed success at Bordeaux-Begles.

The County Clare native took up the role of attack coach with the Top 14 outfit in 2023, helping deliver last year's Investec Champions Cup and two runner-up finishes in domestic competition.

McNamara coached Ireland's Under-20s between 2018 and 2020, delivering a Six Nations title in 2019, before moving to Leinster and then on to South African club Sharks in 2021.

Although Ringrose did not directly play under McNamara - who has extended his stay in France until 2029 - the 31-year-old Ireland international believes his past involvement at Leinster is still felt to this day as they prepare to take on the defending champions in Saturday's Champions Cup final in Bilbao (14:45 BST).

"He definitely had a really big impact on the players he dealt with here at Leinster and it comes as no surprise he's having success with Bordeaux and getting the most out of the whole team, but certainly the backs," Ringrose said.

"He is an exceptional coach and away from not being a really good person, so I think the players play for him on two fronts, for him being a good guy and then also an exceptional coach.

"He was in charge of some of the Leinster and Ireland, age grade stuff that I just missed out on, but I got to work or rub shoulders with him more closely then once I came in the building here in UCD.

"Then also from being close with the guys that were specifically under him and coached by him, understanding what made him tick and the value he was provided to them."

Ringrose has been a regular for club and country over the past decade and while Leinster's high number of representatives in Andy Farrell's squad may suggest both sides have a degree of symmetry, the 2025 British and Irish Lion insists it's not quite the case.

"In terms of identity, it can be similar personnel, but there's also lots of differences as well," he countered.

"There's things that the coaches demand of us and ask of us in here that differ slightly in Ireland and vice versa. So as a player, we're only ever trying to just deliver and do our job as best we can."

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Ulster have confirmed the appointment of former New Zealand international Clarke Dermody as the province's new forwards coach.

The 46-year-old, who will join this summer before the 2026-27 season, will replace Jimmy Duffy.

Dermody will move to Ulster from Super Rugby side Highlanders, where he has fulfilled a number of positions including a two-year stint as head coach between 2022 and 2024.

"While we are sad to say goodbye to Jimmy Duffy who is moving on, as a coaching team we are very excited to be welcoming Clarke to Ulster this summer," said Ulster head coach Richie Murphy.

"He is an experienced coach, with a strong track record of developing top talent. We are looking forward to seeing him implement his methods and philosophy with our squad next season."

During his playing career, loose-head prop Dermody played for Southland, Highlanders and London Irish, where he made over 100 appearances before injury forced his retirement in 2012.

He made three Test appearances for the All Blacks, two of which came against Ireland in 2006.

His coaching career began at Southland Stags in 2014, while he was the Highlanders' scrum coach during their 2015 Super Rugby triumph.

As co-coach alongside current Ireland attack coach Andrew Goodman, Dermody won back-to-back National Provincial Championship titles with in 2019 and 2020 with Tanman Mako.

Having impressed as Highlanders forwards coach, Dermody was appointed head coach in 2022 following Tony Brown's departure for Japan before transitioning into assistant coach two years later after Jamie Joseph's return to the Dunedin-based franchise.