Ulster’s Jamie Benson and James McNabney are officially getting their first Ireland call-ups for the November Nations Championship matches, a huge moment for these two young guns making their mark on the international stage.
New Blood and Big Returns After a Brutal Year
Benson, just 24 years old, is a versatile player who can rock fly-half or centre, and he just joined Ulster from Harlequins this past summer. He’s got that Irish qualification through his Belfast-born mom, even after playing for England Under-20s, which is a cool twist. While he’s primarily played centre for Ulster so far, his ability to slot in at fly-half gives the squad some real options.
McNabney, a 23-year-old back row, has been in the Ireland training squads before, but this is the real deal. What a comeback story, too: the guy just got back on the field this summer after a whole year out with an ACL injury. Talk about earning your spot! On top of these fresh faces, we’ve got some big names returning to the squad. Prop Andrew Porter, forward Ryan Baird, and wings Mack Hansen and Tommy O’Brien are all back in the mix after missing the summer games. Even scrum-half Jamison Gibson-Park made the cut, which is wild considering he hasn’t even featured for Leinster this season.
The Injury List Is Brutal, But the Nations Championship Waits for No One
Coach Andy Farrell is staring down a brutal injury list right now, which makes these new call-ups even more critical. We’re talking captain Caelan Doris sidelined, along with fly-half Jack Crowley. Plus, Jack Boyle, Harry Byrne, Jack Conan, Iain Henderson, Paddy McCarthy, Calvin Nash, and Bryn Ward are all out. That’s a serious hit to the squad depth! In Doris’s absence, his Leinster teammate Dan Sheehan is stepping up to captain Ireland, which is a massive responsibility to take on. Meanwhile, Ulster’s Zac Ward and Cormac Izuchukwu, along with Munster prop Jeremy Loughman, just missed out on selection for these crucial matches.
This isn’t some friendly exhibition. Ireland kicks off their Nations Championship run at Aviva Stadium on Friday, November 6 against Argentina, then Fiji rolls into Dublin on November 14. But the real test? They host world champions South Africa on November 21, before hitting the finals weekend at Allianz Stadium in London the following week. Remember, Ireland had some good wins over Australia and Japan this summer in the Nations Championship, but New Zealand took that third Test. This November is going to be wild, and these new call-ups, especially Benson and McNabney, are gonna be thrown right into the fire. Can’t wait to see what they bring!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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