AS WE HIGHLIGHTED earlier, there are plenty of Irish players contracted abroad who deserve our support. The weekend just gone was a particularly good one for our lads based in France, but here we take a look at how the Irish players in the Aviva Premiership and Green King IPA Championship fared.
Aviva Premiership
On Friday night, Belfast native John Andress made his second start of the season for Worcester in their 37-13 defeat to Harlequins. The 29-year-old tight head prop played 45 minutes before being replaced by Scottish international Euan Murray. Andress has had spells with the Exeter Chiefs and Harlequins since leaving Ulster in 2006. Worcester are now bottom of the Premiership after their third loss in three games.
Leicester had a convincing 31-6 win against the Newcastle Falcons on Saturday afternoon, but Niall Morris was restricted to a role on the bench ahead of joining the Irish squad for the training camp at Carton house. The fullback/wing did play a handful of minutes with the clock winding down, although his main focus would have been avoiding injury ahead of his first senior international involvement. Leicester are second in the league after this victory.
London Irish suffered a second half collapse to lose 29-23 to Exeter at the Madjeski Stadium, with Irishmen Tomás O’Leary, Ian Humphreys and Eamonn Sheridan all starting. Outhalf Humphreys contributed two conversions and three penalties, but had to watch on as his side conceded 17 points in the final quarter to somehow lost the game. London Irish drop to eighth in the table as a result.
Leading the Chiefs’ remarkable comeback was Irish outhalf Gareth Steenson, who left Ulster in 2007. The 29-year-old scored two conversions and five penalties to ensure Exeter came away with an important win. Lock Tommy Hayes, brother of Munster legend John ,was an unused substitute. Steenson already has 40 points in his three appearances this season, and Exeter move up to seventh in the Premiership.
Green King IPA Championship
Four Irishmen were involved in Plymouth Albion’s thrilling 34-34 draw at home to Moseley on Friday night. Flanker Eoghan Grace and scrumhalf Ruairi Cushion both started while Paul Rowley and Davy McGregor came off the bench in the second half. Plymouth looked to have the win secured until a late converted try from Moseley leveled matters. Regardless, the south coast side are third in the Championship after two rounds.
The Cornish Pirates lost 27-20 at home to Leeds on Friday night, with lock James Sandford and outhalf Kieran Hallett both in the starting XV. Sandford joined the Pirates from London Irish during the summer, while Hallett is a former Ireland U21 international. Both players have had spells with Ulster. Hallett helped himself to a conversion and two penalties against Leeds, but this loss leaves the Pirates in seventh.
On Saturday, Niall O’Connor led Jersey to a 26-14 win over Bedford. The former Ulster outhalf scored two conversions and four penalties to ensure a victory that sees Jersey up to eighth in the Championship. Outside O’Connor at centre was ex-Connacht man Mark McCrae, who also played the entire game.
Directly opposite McCrea for Bedford was former Leinster centre Brendan Burke. The 31-year-old has become a true stalwart for the Blues in recent years, having previously represented Ireland at U19 and Sevens levels.
Rotherham Titans’ 77-9 thrashing of the wonderfully-named Ealing Trailfinders involved two Irishmen in openside flanker Ali Birch and fullback Michael Keating. The speedy Keating managed to grab one of the Titans’ 10 tries on the day, with Birch excelling at the breakdown. On the losing side was former Ulster and Connacht back row TJ Anderson, who started at blindside. Ireland U20 international Conor Carey came off the bench to play 35 minutes at loose head prop.
Elsewhere, lock Neilus Keogh played the full 80 minutes of Nottingham’s 46-19 loss to London Welsh, having joined from Italian outfit Lazio during the off-season.
Let us know if we missed any Irish players who were involved in games in England or anywhere abroad over the weekend.
