John Afoa and Chris Henry back for Ulster – Rugby News Update
John Afoa, the 28-year-old All Blacks prop and Chris Henry, the 27-year-old Irish back-row are both back for Ulster for the all important Heineken final clash against Leinster, at Twickenham on Saturday.
Brian McLaughlin, the head coach of Ulster will be taking charge of Ulster for one final time, as he vacates his post after the final. Ulster is hoping to win their second Heineken Cup, and they have their most consistent performer Henry back for the final.
Speaking about his fitness, McLaughlin said that the back-row was feeling just fine.
"He has trained all week and we are happy with his progress. He is ready to go, 100% fit, and we are very happy about that," added McLaughlin.
Henry was with the Ulster academy before earning a development contract in 2006, was happy with the help of trainers. He said, "There may have been a wee bit of tenderness on Monday but on Tuesday it was fantastic and I am raring to go."
Afoa on the other hand was serving a four-match ban for his quarter-final tackle on Munster's Felix Jones, and he slots straight back into the team.
It is going to be a riveting final with a crowd of 82,000 expected at Twickenham. McLaughlin is also looking forward to an excellent match, with both teams having a full set of players.
"It is great that both teams are at nearly full-strength, and it is a long time since that happened when we have faced each other," added McLaughlin.
Leinster welcome back their talisman Brian O’Driscoll, as he has made a recovery from an injury that had kept him sidelined.
The stage is set for both teams. Leinster is looking to winning back-to-back Heineken Cups, their third in four years, while Ulster will want to take revenge for the RaboDirect PRO12 defeats at the hands of Leinster during the season.
Ulster: S Terblanche, A Trimble, D Cave, P Wallace, C Gilroy, P Jackson, R Pienaar; T Court, R Best, J Afoa, J Muller (cpt), D Tuohy, S Ferris, C Henry, P Wannenburg.
Replacements: N Brady, P McAllister, D Fitzpatrick, L Stevenson, W Faloon, P Marshall, I Humphreys, A D'Arcy.
Tags: