Interprovincial derbies so special - Izuchukwupublished at 08:10 GMT 24 December 2025
08:10 GMT 24 December 2025
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Cormac Izuchukwu this week signed a new Ulster contract until 2028
Ulster lock Cormac Izuchukwu says "pride in the province" is what helps make Irish derbies special as the side prepare to take on Connacht this weekend.
Richie Murphy's side travel to the Dexcom Stadium on Saturday (17:30 GMT) for what is their second of three games in a row against Irish rivals in the United Rugby Championship (URC).
The northern province are looking to bounce back following a narrow 24-20 loss against Leinster last time.
The home side, meanwhile, come into the match off the back of a loss comprehensive reverse against Dragons.
"Connacht away, Leinster away and Munster at home, they are special," Izuchukwu told BBC Sport NI.
"There is something about them, they are class to play in.
"For me it is having pride in the province, going down there and showing what we are about."
Izuchukwu, who has not played since early October because of a recurring foot injury followed by an illness last week, has just signed a new two-year contract to keep him at Ulster until the summer of 2028.
The 25-year-old second row added that he has "grown as a person and a player" since joining the Ulster academy in 2020.
"It has been on my mind for a while now, so really happy to get it done and to get back to playing rugby," Izuchukwu continued.
"I came here back in 2020, I didn't have many options, and they gave me a chance. I came here, have made friends and have grown as a person and a player.
"I have made great memories here and, for me, with how the club is growing I am so happy to be here."
Izuchukwu signs two-year contract extension at Ulsterpublished at 16:38 GMT 23 December 2025
16:38 GMT 23 December 2025
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Izuchukwu will remain with Ulster until the summer of 2028
Ulster lock Cormac Izuchukwu has signed a two-year contract extension with the province until the summer of 2028.
The 25-year-old made his Ulster debut in 2021 and has racked up 44 appearances for the province.
The versatile forward has also won three caps for Ireland and said he was "delighted" to commit his future to Richie Murphy's side.
"We are delighted as we wanted to keep our best players at Ulster," Murphy told BBC Sport NI.
"He [Izuchukwu] has become an important member of the squad over the last couple of seasons.
"He is and around that Irish set up at the moment and one of our goas is to push him hard enough to become a regular member of that Irish team and I know that is something he wants to do."
Ulster general manager Rory Best said tying Izuchukwu down to a new deal was a "really important renewal".
"Cormac has shown so much of his unique potential over the past season or two, with his profile of physicality and power helping to make him one of the most exciting forwards in Irish rugby," he added when speaking to Ulster's website.
"He has earned national team recognition due to his performances, and we believe he has a very exciting future in front of him for both Ulster and Ireland."
Hume and Izuchukwu set to return to Ulster squad published at 16:25 GMT 23 December 2025
16:25 GMT 23 December 2025
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Hume (left) and Izuchukwu (right) missed the Leinster game through illness
Cormac Izuchukwu and James Hume are set to feature in Ulster's United Rugby Championship game against Connacht at Dexcom Stadium on Saturday (17:30 GMT).
The URC fixture is the second of three games in a row against Irish provinces for Ulster, with Richie Murphy's side coming into the game after back-to-back defeats against Cardiff and Leinster.
Ireland lock Izuchukwu has not played since early October and returns to the squad alongside Hume, who missed the interprovincial derby defeat at Aviva Stadium after scoring a try in the Challenge Cup match against Cardiff.
Nathan Doak is a doubt because of a calf problem with Rob Baloucoune (shoulder) and Stewart Moore (wrist) also injury concerns.
Charlie Irvine, who picked up a calf injury against defending URC champions Leinster, has been ruled out.
However, despite missing multiple players, Ulster head coach Richie Murphy said that his side's injury situation is "reasonably good."
"Injuries are reasonably good from the weekend," Murphy told BBC Sport NI.
"We have had a couple of long-term ones which haven't changed but, from the game at the weekend, we have come out pretty well."
Connacht will be looking to get back to winning ways themselves after losing 48-28 to Dragons in their last match.
The home side have lost four of their opening six URC matches but won their previous home game.
"Connacht are in a tough place," Murphy continued.
"They are coming off a pretty poor defeat in their eyes so it will be a very difficult place to go this weekend."
It was hard to recover in Leinster defeat - Murphypublished at 10:33 GMT 20 December 2025
10:33 GMT 20 December 2025
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After a strong start to the season, Ulster have now lost back-to-back matches
Ulster head coach Richie Murphy says there is no time for "wallowing" after losing 24-20 to Leinster in the United Rugby Championship.
Two scores from Werner Kok and a Tom Stewart try helped Ulster to a 17-7 half-time lead at the Aviva Stadium.
However, Leinster, aided by a strong bench, rallied as Joshua Kenny and Ireland internationals James Lowe and Dan Sheehan crossed to give the hosts a comeback win.
"It was a difficult turnaround in the second half, we never really got our game going," Murphy told Premier Sports.
"We probably went away from what we were doing in the first half and if you give a team like Leinster a little bit of field position, they can play on top of you and it's very hard to try and recover."
It is a second defeat in a row for Ulster, who have had a superb start to the season.
A much-changed side let slip a 14-point lead to lose to Cardiff in the Challenge Cup, and Leinster inflicted a second league defeat of the season on Murphy's young side.
However, they still remain fourth in the table, one place ahead of Leinster, and take on Connacht in Galway after Christmas.
"We can't spend too much time wallowing over this. We have to learn from it and move on," Murphy added.
"We did talk about that last week and now it's a second defeat on the bounce. That's something we want to try and change pretty quickly.
"We'll park this, prepare for Connacht and move on."
Bell starts as McCloskey returns for Ulsterpublished at 12:30 GMT 18 December 2025
12:30 GMT 18 December 2025
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Angus Bell starts in a strong Ulster team for Friday's interprovincial derby
Australia prop Angus Bell will make his first Ulster start in Friday's United Rugby Championship game against Leinster at Aviva Stadium (19:45 GMT).
Short-term signing Bell, who came off the bench in the Challenge Cup fixtures against Racing 92 and Cardiff, starts at loose-head with Ireland internationals Tom O'Toole and Tom Stewart completing the front row.
Centre Stuart McCloskey returns from the groin injury he sustained on Ireland duty last month. He is joined in midfield by Jude Postlethwaite, who missed last weekend's defeat by Cardiff because of concussion.
Ulster head coach Richie Murphy has recalled several players after rotating his squad for the Cardiff game, with Nick Timoney and Juarno Augustus returning to the back row.
Jacob Stockdale is restored at full-back, while Rob Baloucoune - who has scored five tries this season - returns to the right wing. The first-choice half-back pairing of Nathan Doak and Jack Murphy are also recalled.
Ethan McIlroy is set for his first appearance since January from the bench after recovering from a knee injury.
Ireland forward James Ryan will earn his 100th Leinster cap in Friday's interprovincial derby.
URC holders Leinster will be captained by Jack Conan, who came through graduated return to play protocols, with Caelan Doris not named in the squad.
Leinster head coach Leo Cullen has made 11 changes from last weekend's Investec Champions Cup win at Leicester.
New Zealand international Rieko Ioane will play his first URC game after a couple of Champions Cup appearances, while Sam Prendergast is restored at fly-half after Harry Byrne was preferred for the Leicester game.
Ulster have won four out of five URC games this season while Leinster have three wins and three defeats from six. Leinster won both meetings last season, including a comprehensive 41-17 win at Aviva Stadium in April.
Substitutes in rugby 'absolute nonsense' - McBridepublished at 19:40 GMT 16 December 2025
19:40 GMT 16 December 2025
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Willie John McBride won 63 caps for Ireland and a further 17 for the Lions
British and Irish Lions legend Willie John McBride believes reverting to only using the bench to replace injured players would leave rugby as a "far better game".
Ulster hero Mike Gibson was Test rugby's first substitute when he took the place of Barry John for the Lions against South Africa in 1968.
Tactical replacements in the international game were not introduced until 1996, however.
In recent years, led by back-to-back World champions South Africa and their use of the so-called 'Bomb Squad', deployment of the bench is now considered an integral part of the game.
"We didn't have any reserves. If you got injured with Ireland, they put you on the wing because you knew the ball wasn't going to get there," McBride told the Ireland Rugby Social podcast.
"If you could stay on the field you stayed on and if not, you played with 14. So replacements were very important for injury."
McBride has little time for the modern-day approach to rugby as a squad game.
"I'll be quite honest, that's one of the things that annoys me terribly," he added.
"We have changed rugby from a 15-man game into a 23-man game and that drives me crazy. They talk about bomb squads...absolute nonsense.
"I think we should get back to a 15-man game with reserves for injury only and I think we'd have a much better game."
In their most recent Test match, a dominant 73-0 victory over Wales, South Africa named Cobus Reinach as their only back on the bench, bringing on seven forwards across the contest.
Chief amongst McBride's concerns is the fear that bringing on an almost a fresh pack during a game will increase the risk of injury.
"It's just not fair," he said. "The chances of injury are so much more because you've fresh men against tired men.
"These guys that they rush on at the end are 25 stone probably, huge guys who couldn't play 80 minutes of rugby.
"That's unfair for a start. The whole game is wrong the way they've done this."
Leinster's Conan available to face Ulsterpublished at 16:00 GMT 15 December 2025
16:00 GMT 15 December 2025
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Jack Conan has started the past six Tests for the British and Irish Lions
Ireland back row Jack Conan will be available for selection when Leinster welcome Ulster to Dublin on Friday night.
The return to United Rugby Championship (URC) action after the two-week break for European competitions sees Ulster visit the Aviva Stadium (19:45 GMT) for their first interprovincial derby of the 2025-26 campaign.
Conan, 33, started Leinster's 23-15 Champions Cup victory over Leicester on Friday night but was taken off after an early collision with Tigers full-back Freddie Steward.
Leinster said the number eight has "come through the graduated return to play protocols", while the availability of Tadhg Furlong, Will Connors and Jimmy O'Brien will be assessed as the week progresses.
Leo Cullen's side offered no updates on the respective injuries of Hugo Keenan, Jamie Osborne, Jordan Larmour, Ryan Baird, Andrew Porter, Garry Ringrose and RG Snyman.
Ulster 'stopped playing' in Cardiff loss - Murphypublished at 13:31 GMT 14 December 2025
13:31 GMT 14 December 2025
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Ulster led 26-12 in Cardiff but ended up losing 29-26 at the Arms Park
Ulster head coach Richie Murphy believed his side were "in control" of the game before giving up a 14-point advantage to lose to Cardiff in the Challenge Cup.
The northern province were 26-12 ahead after 65 minutes of the game but tries from Danny Southworth and Dan Thomas levelled matters before Callum Sheedy won the game for the hosts with the last kick of the contest.
It was the second large lead surrendered by Ulster at the Arms Park in as many seasons after they fell 21-19 having led 19-0 at half-time in the United Rugby Championship (URC) last October.
"We're 14 points up, we're in control of the game, but we stopped playing a little bit and a couple of loose kicks sort of brings Cardiff back into the game and puts us under pressure," said Murphy.
"[It was a] disappointing way to finish."
'Their second try can't be a try'
Murphy was frustrated that Cardiff's second try of the game, a score which gave the hosts a 12-0 lead, was allowed to stand having felt Leigh Halfpenny had knocked the ball on in the build-up.
"Their second try can't be a try because it hits his [Halfpenny's] hand, hits his chest and goes forward. I'm not sure what the rules are, except for that's definitely a knock on," said Murphy.
"There was quite a few questionable moments within the game. I suppose we don't want to talk about the officiating, but it's hard when things like that go amiss."
Having still taken two points from the defeat, coupled with the bonus-point win over Racing 92 in their Challenge Cup opener last weekend, the 1999 European champions have seven points at the halfway stage of Pool 3.
Despite rotating for the loss against their URC rivals, Ulster remain in a strong position in a competition where four teams from the six in each pool advance to the knock-out stages.
"If you had said two points before the game, would we have taken it? Maybe, but I suppose the big feeling at the moment is just disappointed with how we finished the game," Murphy added.
Back row Paul Boyle scored a first-half hat-trick as Connacht eased to a 52-0 Challenge Cup victory over Black Lion in Galway.
The Georgian visitors were overpowered at the Dexcom Stadium with Connacht scoring six tries in the first-half alone.
The westerners surrendered a 21-0 advantage to lose to Ospreys in their European opener last week but the result was never in danger this time around.
Boyle, who was a try scorer for Ireland 'A' in their victory over Spain last month, opened the scoring after only 54 seconds with Shalva Aptsiauri then sent to the sin bin for a trip on Chay Mullins.
Boyle got his second before the visiting winger returned to the field in the 16th minute, with Caolin Blade the next to go over after good work from Hugh Gavin.
The once-capped Boyle completed his hat-trick on the half-hour mark with both Sam Illo and Shay Bolton following him across the whitewash before the turn.
With Sam Gilbert converting four of the six scores, Stuart Lancaster's side led 38-0 at the break.
With the game won in the first half, there was something of a let up after the restart with both Blade and Bolton bagging their second of the game and Gilbert converting both for the only scores of the second half.
Connacht return to United Rugby Championship action next week when they travel to Dragons on 20 December before the first of their festive interpros at home to Ulster a week later.
Clovers and Wolfhounds name squads for Celtic Challengepublished at 13:44 GMT 12 December 2025
13:44 GMT 12 December 2025
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Enya Breen (left) has been included in the Clovers squad while Aoife Dalton (right) has been named in the Wolfhounds panel
Irish teams Clovers and Wolfhounds have both named their squads for the Celtic Challenge which begins on 20 December.
The cross-border women's tournament is now in its third season and for the first time will feature play-offs and a grand final.
Defending champions Wolfhounds, who open their campaign at home to Edinburgh at Energia Park (14:30 GMT), will again have Neill Alcorn at the helm.
They are, however, without 2025 Six Nations Player of the Championship Aoife Wafer following her move to Harlequins.
But Alcorn has included the likes of Claire Bole, Linda Djougang, Fiona Tuite, Aoife Dalton, Stacey Flood, Eve Higgins, Dannah O'Brien and Aoibheann Reilly, who were all part of Ireland's World Cup squad earlier this year.
Clovers, who finished two points behind the Wolfhounds last year, will again be managed by Denis Fogarty and take on Gwalia Lightening in their first game which is also at Energia Park (11:30).
He has also named a number of players from Ireland's World Cup squad in his panel.
Beth Buttimer, Ruth Campbell, Ivana Kiripati, Sadhbh McGrath, Siobhan McCarthy, Enya Breen, Amee Leigh Costigan, Meabh Deely, Emily Lane, Anna McGann and Beibhinn Parsons are all included.
The top four after 10 rounds of fixtures in the Celtic Challenge will progress to the semi-finals, with the title to be decided on the weekend of 29 March, the venue of which has yet to be confirmed.
Wolfhounds squad:
Forwards: Alma Atagamen (Leinster), Kathy Baker (Leinster), Sophie Barrett (Ulster), Claire Boles (Ulster), Regan Casey (IQ Rugby), Meabh Clenaghan (Ulster), India Daley (Ulster), Linda Djougang (Leinster), Poppy Garvey (Connacht), Christie Haney (Leinster), Kate Jordan (Leinster), Cara McLean (Ulster), Caoimhe Molloy (Leinster), Maeve Óg O'Leary (Munster), Naoise Smyth (Leinster), Fiona Tuite (Ulster)
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