Northern Edition

Select Edition

Northern Northern
Southern Southern
Global Global
New Zealand New Zealand
France France

Jack McGrath's controversial switch to Ravenhill now a done deal

Ulster and Ireland prop Jack McGrath.

British and Irish Lions Lions prop Jack McGrath’s much-debated move from his home province of Leinster northward to Ravenhill is set to go ahead.

ADVERTISEMENT

The move was first reported at the start of the year, with the IRFU eager to get the loosehead prop more regular game time.

McGrath has started just six times for Leinster this season, having fallen behind Cian Healy at Leinster and both Healy and Munster’s David Kilcoyne in the Ireland pecking order.

It’s been quite a fall for McGrath who played in all three British and Irish Lions test matches against New Zealand just two years ago, albeit coming on as a substitute in each one.

RugbyPass now understands that the deal has been agreed and that it is set to be confirmed publically.

The 54-times capped Irish international has found playing time hard to come by this season, with Cian Healy enjoying a renaissance in his playing career, just a year or two after it was thought injuries could see the dynamic prop forced into an early retirement.

McGrath, 29, is under contract with Leinster and the IRFU until the summer of 2020, but according to previous reports, both he and the IRFU are frustrated at his lack of opportunities in the capital and that a move north to Ulster could solve the problem.

ADVERTISEMENT

Ulster have found themselves undermanned in the front row at times this season and the addition of McGrath would come as welcome relief to their stock of looseheads.

The prop has spent his entire professional career with Leinster to date and he played a crucial role in many of the province’s successes since he joined in 2010, including helping guide the side to the Guinness PRO14 and European Rugby Champions Cup double in 2018.

Hip surgery in November has impacted McGrath’s season with Leinster and Ireland, although he was used as a replacement in Ireland’s 26-16 victory over Italy in Rome.

If McGrath makes the move to Belfast, he will join Worcester Warriors‘ Gareth Milasinovich in calling the Kingspan Stadium home next season.

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

LIVE

{{item.title}}

Trending on RugbyPass

Comments

0 Comments
Be the first to comment...

Join free and tell us what you really think!

Sign up for free
ADVERTISEMENT

Latest Features

Comments on RugbyPass

f
fl 1 hour ago
Gloucester respond to complaints over Russian flag

I don't listen to Nigel Farage. Really not sure where you'd be getting that from. Maybe you should stick to responding to what I've actually said, rather than speculating about my sources.


I'm not sure what you think Putin is going to do. He'll probably conquer Ukraine, but its taken him a long time, and cost him a lot of soldiers. Hitler overran France in a matter of weeks and then started bombing Britain. At this rate Putin might make it to Paris by 2080? I think he'll give up long before then!


I don't see what Stalinist language policy has to do with any of what we're talking about. De-Ukrainization took place in the 1930s, but the genocide of Palestine is taking place in 2025. If your argument is that the invasion of Ukraine is part of a longer history of Russian suppression of Ukraine then you might have a point, but that really just underlines the key difference between Hitler and Putin; Hitler wanted to dominate as much area as possible and so posed a threat to all of Europe, whereas Putin wants to force the assimilation of those who have historically been within the Russian sphere of influence, so only poses a threat to eastern europe and central asia.


"Read and think for yourself."

What would you recommend I read? On the genocide of Palestine I've found Patrick Wolfe's "Settler Colonialism and the Elimination of the Native" and Sai Englert's "Settlers, Workers, and the Logic of Accumulation by Dispossession" especially useful - they might disabuse you of the notion that what we are witnessing is an "authoritarian criminal syndicate" fighting a nation! - rather Zionist genocide is a largely democratic process, arising from a structure of settler colonialism which has no analogue in Ukraine.

9 Go to comments
F
Flankly 2 hours ago
Six players Rassie Erasmus must hand Springbok debuts to in 2025

Sloppy piece by Josh. It should be Stormers, obviously.


Also:

David Kriel, who, like Hooker, is comfortable in both the midfield and the back-tree

Being comfortable in trees is kind of a quirky qualification for the Boks Office lads to emphasize.

2 Go to comments
LONG READ
LONG READ How the four-team format will help the Wallabies defeat the Lions How the four-team format will help the Wallabies defeat the Lions
Search