Rugby Daily | URC team news: Mack back for Stormers, Quinny on Munster's bare minimum
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There's been difficulties between Finn Russell and Gregor Townsend going back a little while. Catastrophic news for Scotland. I've worked with Gregor since 2012, he was the Glasgow coach then, so 14 years you're obviously going to have a one, two, however many bust-ups it is.
I think the way that Finn has dealt with that, is to his credit he doesn't bear grudges it's just it's been it's gone move on to the next one I'm Finn Russell and this is Inner Drive
catch Finn Russell's Inner Drive on Off The Ball right now on YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts brought to you by Allianz Off The Balls Rugby Daily with Bank of Ireland a proud sponsor of Connacht Leinster Munster and Ulster Rugby never stop competing You're very welcome along to Friday's Rugby Daily. I'm Cameron Hill. Now coming up, all the team news ahead of the URC finally kicking off this weekend and Ireland target a big response against Japan as the WXV Global Series heads to Galway. First up today, another season in the URC gets properly up and running for the Irish provinces tonight. It's Stuart Lancaster's season two in Connacht with the Stormers coming to Dexcom Stadium in Galway.
The big team news is the return of Mac Hansen to the starting side. He missed the majority of last season with just one appearance for the province against the Bulls last October while he recovered from a long-standing foot injury which he's undergone surgery for. but he's back on the right wing for his first competitive game since November. New front row signing Francois van Veek starts at loose head with Finlay Beelum on the other side of the scrum. After a tricky start last term, Connacht finished the regular season with eight wins from their last nine games and lost to Glasgow Warriors in the quarterfinals. Lancaster believes they'll need to be on it from the word go this time around.
The league was slightly strange last year in the fact that the top eight teams, there was a big gap between ninth and fourth 10th and so you had to be getting to sort of like north of 54 55 points so those games that we lost in the first half although we did get some bonus points they actually proved crucial in the end but to get to top 8 and to get to top 4 you need to be winning 12 games out of 18 really And obviously with that comes your home games because, you know, the competition is only getting stronger.
Now that game gets underway at a quarter to eight in Galway. At the same time, Ulster kick off another campaign with the visit of Edinburgh to Belfast. They had opposite fortunes to the Westerners at the end of last season. No wins from their final four games saw them finish just outside the top eight and miss out on a place in the Investec Champions Cup. They welcomed their own superstar winger back to the team with Rob Ballachoon named on the right wing. Five of Ulster's new signings make tonight's team with Jamie Benson joining Ben Carson in the centre. Eduardo Baio gets the nod at tight head. While Eli Snaiman and Ben Donnell make their debuts in the second row and Martin Maloney is in the loose alongside James McNabney who dons the H shirt in his first game in over a year.
He missed all of last season with an ACL injury. Former Connacht scrum half Matthew Devine could make his first Ulster appearance he's named on the bench. Now, it's an Ulster side full of new faces tonight, with the experienced Stuart McCloskey left out and Ian Henderson missing the start of this season, having undergone hip surgery over the summer. And starting out half, Jack Murphy says he's ready to step into a leadership role this year.
Out half's got to drive the team, especially in the attacking side of the ball. So, yeah, it's been like... A lot of time on the pitch with some of our leaders like Hendy and Stu and stuff so you take pieces from them but you've got to do it your own way as well so that's something I felt I could grow on a lot and get my voice out there a lot more and definitely confident in that side of the game going forward now this year.
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