Ulster

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Ulster forward David McCann says signing a new deal with the province gives him "a bit of peace of mind" and allows him to focus on his performances on the pitch.

The 25-year-old penned a new two-year contract on Monday, which ties him down to the province until 2028.

"It gives a bit of peace of mind, less worry about getting injured or anything but it gives you a chance to focus more on playing," he said.

"Excited to be staying for another two years and looking forward to playing for my boyhood club."

Ulster's 2023-24 player of the year McCann has featured in every United Rugby Championship and Challenge Cup game for Richie Murphy's side this season, starting 13 of their 15 fixtures.

He believes consistent game time has aided his consistent performances in the back row.

"I think when you play each week it's easier to find form and keep form, fitness levels and conditioning becomes easier because you're playing enough to get everything in," added McCann, who is named on the bench for Friday's trip to Edinburgh.

"Our squad has so much depth especially in the back row, so you're always playing with quality players and that makes everyone's jobs much easier."

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Prop Tom McAllister will make his senior Ulster debut in Friday's rescheduled United Rugby Championship trip to Edinburgh (19:45 GMT).

Ireland under-20 international tight-head McAllister - who joined the Ulster academy last year - starts in the front row alongside Australia loose-head Angus Bell and hooker Rob Herring.

Herring captains the side in the absence of Iain Henderson, who has been called into the Ireland squad before Saturday's Six Nations Triple Crown decider against Scotland.

Cormac Izuchukwu, Jude Postlethwaite and Bryn Ward all start after returning from Ireland's Six Nations camp, while number eight Juarno Augustus will make his first appearance of 2026 after recovering from an ankle injury.

Izuchukwu missed Ulster's loss to Ospreys on 28 February with a concussion.

With Nathan Doak still on Ireland duty, Dave Shanahan is handed a rare start at scrum-half ahead of Conor McKee, who is on the bench.

Shanahan, 32, has made three appearances off the bench this season, but Friday will mark his first senior start since November 2023.

Shanahan's inclusion is head coach Richie Murphy's only backline change from the Ospreys game on 28 February.

Jack Murphy is retained at fly-half, Zac Ward, Werner Kok and Michael Lowry continue in the back three while Postlethwaite and James Hume remain in midfield.

In a five-three split on the bench, James McCormick, Sam Crean, Scott Wilson, Joe Hopes and David McCann provide forward cover alongside backs McKee, Jake Flannery and Ben Carson.

Ulster are sixth in the URC table but will go second with a bonus-point win over 12th-placed Edinburgh, who won last season's meeting 47-17 at Hive Stadium.

The game was originally scheduled to take place on 3 October but was postponed because of Storm Amy.

Ulster: Lowry; Kok, Hume, Postlethwaite; Z Ward; Murphy, Shanahan; Bell, Herring, McAllister, Sheridan, Irvine, Izuchukwu, B Ward, Augustus.

Replacements: McCormick, Crean, Wilson, Hopes, McCann, McKee, Flannery, Carson.

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Fit-again back row Juarno Augustus is available for Ulster's refixed United Rugby Championship game against Edinburgh on Friday (19:45 GMT).

The South African, who joined Ulster from Northampton last summer, has been sidelined since December with an ankle injury.

Ulster also expect Matthew Dalton to be available for selection with the versatile forward completing graduated return to play protocols after sustaining a concussion against Ospreys on 28 February.

However, hooker John Andrew has been ruled out after suffering a concussion in training last week.

Ulster head coach Richie Murphy can also call upon Cormac Izuchukwu, Jude Postlethwaite and Bryn Ward following their return from Ireland camp.

Edinburgh and Ulster were originally due to meet at Hive Stadium on 3 October but the game was postponed because of Storm Amy.

Ulster are sixth in the URC table, nine points off leaders Glasgow, while Edinburgh are 12th.

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Ulster forward David McCann and back Jake Flannery have both signed new deals with the province.

McCann had signed a new two-year contract which ties him down to the province until 2028 while Flannery has penned a one-year extension until 2027.

Back row McCann has featured in every United Rugby Championship and Challenge Cup game for Richie Murphy's side this season, starting 13 of their 15 fixtures.

Ulster's 2023-24 player of the year, the 25-year-old also featured for Ireland A in the emphatic win over Spain in November but is yet to make his debut for the senior international side.

"I am pleased to be continuing at Ulster, the team has shown this season the journey we are on and I feel proud to be a part of that," said the former Ireland under-20 captain, who made his Ulster debut in 2020.

"I want to push myself to play at the highest level, be successful doing this and Ulster is a great place to achieve those goals."

Versatile Flannery, who can operate at fly-half, centre and full-back, joined Ulster from Munster in 2022 and has made over 30 appearances for the province.

'I'm happy to be signing on for another season with Ulster. I feel I am progressing and enjoying a run of fitness after a challenging season last year," he said.

"Our team is playing with more confidence, and the attack has been really clicking, which is fun to be a part of. We are a close group and I'm very motivated to play my part in chasing success in the future.''

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Bundee Aki has returned to the Ireland squad for Friday's Six Nations game against Wales in Dublin (20:10 GMT), while Leinster pair Jimmy O'Brien and Robbie Henshaw are also back in contention.

Aki was handed a four-match ban in January for "verbal abuse and disrespect" towards match officials in Connacht's United Rugby Championship (URC) loss to Leinster in January.

That kept the 35-year-old out of his province's URC game against Leinster and Ireland's first three games in the Six Nations, but is now back with the squad.

O'Brien has also linked up with the squad and Henshaw is expected to return early this week after they both played the full 80 minutes in Leinster's 8-7 URC defeat by Cardiff on Friday.

Both were left out of Andy Farrell's initial 37-man squad for the Six Nations because of injury, but their return will bolster Ireland's options with James Lowe ruled out for the remainder of the tournament with a groin injury.

Fly-half Harry Byrne suffered a concussion in Leinster's defeat on Friday and is out, while Cormac Izuchukwu continues his graduated return to play protocols and will join the squad alongside the other nine players who have also returned to camp.

Farrell will name his team on Wednesday afternoon.

Issy Todd
BBC Sport NI contributor

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Wallabies prop Angus Bell says he has no plans to extend his Ulster spell beyond this season ahead of the province's trip to face the Ospreys this Saturday.

Bell joined Ulster on a sabbatical until the end of the 2025-26 campaign and made his debut in December in the side's 61-7 Challenge Cup win over Racing 92.

The 25-year-old said he remains committed to his deal with Rugby Australia, which runs to the end of 2027, despite describing his time in Belfast as "probably the best experience" of his career.

"Playing abroad was always something I wanted to do. It's something that I needed to do to grow up a bit and experience new things in rugby," Bell told BBC Sport NI.

"That's the beauty of rugby is that you can go across the world and play in a different country. It's been awesome to learn how different styles of rugby are played.

"We've got a really class team at Ulster and I'm loving my time here. Ask Rory, ask Besty about extending!"

Fourth-placed Ulster take on Ospreys on Saturday (19:45 GMT) at Brewery Field in round 12 of the United Rugby Championship.

Bell, who starts on the bench, is looking forward to the challenge against the ninth-placed Welsh outfit.

"They are a class team. We know how hard Ospreys are to play at home," he said.

"I've got some really good mates in that team. I grew up with Jack Walsh and I've known him since he was a young fella. I've also played with Ryan Smith - played against him and we've been in a couple of Wallabies squads together.

"It's going to awesome to play against those sort of lads and I'm really looking forward to taking the field with Ulster and hopefully getting a good result."

Both sides have international players back from the Six Nations, with Nathan Doak, Jude Postlethwaite, Tom Stewart and Bryn Ward all starting for Ulster.

Bell added: "We are in such a good position and I'm so glad I can hopefully build something here at Ulster towards the back end of the year.

"We're ready for the challenge and I'm really looking forward to this fixture."

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Ulster have welcomed back four of their Ireland Six Nations squad members for Saturday's United Rugby Championship (URC) game against Ospreys, but forward Cormac Izuchukwu is ruled out after sustaining a concussion in training this week.

The second row, who made his Six Nations debut for Ireland against Italy in Dublin earlier this month, is following World Rugby Graduated Return to Play Protocols and it is unclear if he will be available for the Test team's game against Wales next week.

Backs Nathan Doak and Jude Postlethwaite, plus forwards Tom Stewart and Bryn Ward, are all named in head coach Richie Murphy's starting side for the visit to Wales (19:45 GMT kick-off).

Michael Lowry is selected at full-back, with Werner Kok and Zac Ward on the wings and James Hume and Postlethwaite in midfield.

Jack Murphy and Doak form the half-back partnership, with Eric O'Sullivan, Stewart and Scott Wilson in the front row.

Iain Henderson and Charlie Irvine combine in the second row, with Matthew Dalton, David McCann and Bryn Ward in the back row.

Conor McKee, Jake Flannery and Ben Carson offer the backs options on the replacements' bench, with Rob Herring, Angus Bell, Bryan O'Connor and Harry Sheridan the forward substitutes.

Ulster have won seven of their 10 games to date in the URC and lie eight points adrift of leaders Glasgow Warriors before the weekend's action commences, with a rearranged match against Edinburgh in hand.

Their opponents this weekend, Ospreys, sit ninth in the standings, 11 points worse off than Richie Murphy's side.

Ulster: Lowry; Kok, Hume, Postlethwaite, Z Ward; Murphy, Doak; O'Sullivan, Stewart, Wilson; Henderson, Irvine; Dalton, McCann, B Ward.

Replacements: Herring, Bell, O'Connor, Sheridan, Rea, McKee, Flannery, Carson.

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Ulster head coach Richie Murphy says he hopes his side can benefit from the confidence his international players have gained in Ireland camp during the latter stages of the domestic season.

Four Ulster players - Stuart McCloskey, Robert Baloucoune, Tom O'Toole and Nick Timoney - featured in Ireland's thumping 42-21 Six Nations win over England, with McCloskey and Baloucoune widely praised for their performances.

While Murphy does not have that quartet's services for Saturday's United Rugby Championship game at Ospreys (19:45 GMT), Ireland squad members Nathan Doak, Cormac Izuchukwu, Jude Postlethwaite, Tom Stewart and Bryn Ward are expected to feature.

"They've enjoyed their time in camp and it's been great to see the Irish team do so well at that weekend and our boys within that really stand up," Murphy told BBC Sport NI.

"Our A team had a really good win against Munster last weekend as well so the atmosphere in our training camp is really good at the moment."

Murphy added: "Their confidence is high as you can see and hopefully we can get some good wins on the back of that."

Saturday's game at Electric Brewery Field will be Ulster's first since a 21-14 win over Cardiff on 31 January.

Ulster are fourth in the URC table and will face Saturday's opponents in the Challenge Cup round of 16 in April as Murphy's side chase silverware on two fronts.

"We're coming into the business end of the season, we know how important these points will be over the next number of weeks," added Murphy.

"We've nine games left with a possible five knockout games. It's a really exciting time. We have young guys coming up after doing well in that A game looking for senior spots and those international players, when they come back it's really important they bring us forward.

"There's a feelgood factor. It's important we keep focused and keep our feet on the ground and keep doing the things that got us in this position in the first place."

Richard Petrie
BBC Sport NI Journalist

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Ulster centre Jude Postlethwaite says his involvement with the Ireland squad in recent weeks has been "a big learning experience" and has given him added incentive to get himself in a position to earn his first international cap.

Postlethwaite was called up to the Irish Six Nations panel by head coach Andy Farrell and despite not being involved on the field of play as yet, he says training with the squad and being part of the group has benefited his development.

The 23-year-old is one of five players who have been released from Ireland duty to their province for Saturday's United Rugby Championship game against Ospreys.

"It's been class, a big learning experience. I got the call from Andy Farrell three weeks ago and it was pretty surreal," Postlethwaite told BBC Sport NI.

"The first week out in Portugal I learnt a lot and then the last few weeks have been brilliant.

"It's just good to be down there involved and being around all the players. You're learning off the best, players that I looked up to when I was younger.

"It gives me a bit of drive [to win a first cap] and obviously that's where I want to be, get up to speed with all the details there, so that if I do get the opportunity I can take it."

Postlethwaite's fellow Ulster centre Stuart McCloskey has earned rave reviews for his performances in the green shirt in recent weeks as Farrell's side secured victories over Italy and England after an opening defeat by France.

"Stuart has been incredible. I always knew he could put those types of performances in and I'm so happy for him.

"It's down to the kind of person he is, so determined, and it's great he's getting that opportunity to show the world what he can do."

Ulster have won seven of their 10 games to date in the URC and lie eight points adrift of leaders Glasgow Warriors, with a rearranged match against Edinburgh in hand.

Their opponents this weekend, Ospreys, sit ninth in the standings, 11 points worse off than Richie Murphy's side.

"Every game is important for us and we're ready for a big performance this weekend."

"Any details I can bring back from Irish camp to help the lads can only help and I'm just so excited to get out there playing again."