McNabney 'deserving' of first Ireland cap - Farrell

Ireland head coach Andy Farrell said James McNabney's route to the Ireland set-up is a "phenomenal story" after the Ulster back row was named among the replacements for Saturday's Nations Championship match against Fiji.

The 23-year-old has recently recovered from an anterior cruciate ligament injury which sidelined him for last season and has started just one game for Ulster since his return this campaign.

The back row represented Northern Ireland and Great Britain's equestrian teams until he was 16 before switching his focus to rugby.

He has since been part of the Ireland team who became Grand Slam winners at the Under-20 Six Nations in 2022 and 2023.

"I think it's a brilliant story because it's not a conventional way of coming through from a rugby point of view," Farrell said.

"Riding horses on farms until he was 16 and making a choice obviously for the size of him, you would have thought you were worried for the horses at that stage, wouldn't you?!

"But from a school that's not a traditional rugby school, I think it's a phenomenal story for him to come through the 20s and do what he's done at Ulster and here he is, deserving his first-cap opportunity on Saturday."

McNabney is one of four Ulster players on the bench with hooker Tom Stewart, prop Tom O'Toole and centre Stuart McCloskey, while Rob Baloucoune and Nick Timoney are named to start.

Ireland have lost just one of their four Nations Championship fixtures and sit third in the northern hemisphere standings.

Fiji are still waiting for their first points of tournament and sit bottom of the southern hemisphere table.