Latest news with #McNabney
Belfast Telegraph
15-05-2025
- Sport
- Belfast Telegraph
Ulster hand final appearances to two departing players in last game of season
The pair, who will depart in the summer, will end their time with the province with a dead-rubber game at the Hive Stadium after Ulster's chances of qualifying for the URC Play-Offs was extinguished with defeat to Munster last week. Second row Treadwell, who is headed back to Harlequins, will end his Ulster career with 179 appearances, while double-centurion Warwick is making his 212th appearance for the only club he has represented in his career. That means that Ulster fans have seen the last of John Cooney, who was always unlikely to play having been injured the last few weeks, as well as Corrie Barrett, Reuben Crothers, Michael McDonald, Alan O'Connor and Matty Rea. Head coach Richie Murphy has made four changes to the side that lost at Thomond Park last week, with Rob Baloucoune, James McNabney, Rea and Scott Wilson all rotating out of the line-up. South African winger Werner Kok comes back into the starting team in place of Baloucoune, with Michael Lowry and Jacob Stockdale rounding out the back three, with the pairings of Stuart McCloskey and Jude Postlethwaite in the centre and Nathan Doak and Jack Murphy at half-back unchanged. Ireland tighthead prop Tom O'Toole is the only alteration the front row as he comes in for Wilson, with the departing Warwick and Ireland hooker Rob Herring packing down alongside him, with captain Iain Henderson partnering Treadwell in the second row. Cormac Izuchukwu moves from the second row to blindside flank to accommodate Treadwell, with Rea dropping out of the squad altogether and McNabney relegated to the bench to allow David McCann to start at number eight, with Nick Timoney continuing at openside flanker. Wilson and McNabney are both included among the replacements, with Tom Stewart and Callum Reid joining the former as front row substitutes and Harry Sheridan, making his first senior appearance since March, alongside McNabney as loose forward options. In the backs, scrum-half Dave Shanahan is in line to move one cap away from a century should he be called upon, with fly-half Aidan Morgan and utility back Stewart Moore rounding out the squad. ULSTER: (15-9) M Lowry; W Kok, J Postlethwaite, S McCloskey, J Stockdale; J Murphy, N Doak; (1-8) A Warwick, R Herring, T O'Toole; K Treadwell, I Henderson (captain); C Izuchuwku, N Timoney, D McCann. Replacements: T Stewart, C Reid, S Wilson, H Sheridan, J McNabney, D Shanahan, A Morgan, S Moore. EDINBURGH: (15-9) W Goosen; D Graham, M Currie, J Lang, H Paterson; R Thompson, A Price; (1-8) P Schoeman, E Ashman, D Rae; M Sykes, S Skinner; B Muncaster, H Watson, M Bradbury (captain).
BBC News
26-03-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
'A bit surreal' to be alongside Irish stars
Ulster back row James McNabney said "it was a bit surreal" to be included as a development player in Ireland's Six Nations 22-year-old debuted for his province last season after making 14 appearances for the Ireland inclusion for Ireland's pre-championship training camp in Portugal was his first involvement with the senior national side and came after a string of impressive performances at Kingspan call-up was a surprise to the player himself, however, who struggled to believe the news when he heard while working on the family farm."I was actually just finished putting in silage with the telehandler and I looked at my phone and saw I got the email," he said."I wasn't sure it was true and I had to have a good look to make sure it was legitimate because I didn't think I'd be on the radar for something like that." The number eight, who has featured 11 times for Ulster this season, said it was strange to suddenly be alongside the Irish Test stars."It was a bit surreal. When you go go-karting with Peter O'Mahony and Caelan Doris, you think it seems a bit nuts."But they're only human like the rest of us, they're great lads and were really welcoming to me. It was great."McNabney felt he came away from the experience a better player."I really loved it, it was a good opportunity," he added."There's definitely things I've worked out need to be much better since being there."I've been stretched massively but we know now where we're at and what the finishing goal looks like so we can work towards it."McNabney will next be in action against the Stormers at Kingspan Stadium on Friday night, a match that will be broadcast live on BBC Two NI, BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website and app.
