ULSTER LOOSEHEAD PROP Eric O’Sullivan has been called up to the Ireland squad for the first time ahead of Sunday’s Autumn Nations Cup clash with Georgia in Dublin.
The uncapped 24-year-old comes into Andy Farrell’s squad after a calf injury for Ed Byrne, who was withdrawn from the matchday 23 to face England last weekend at a late stage.
Dublin man O’Sullivan came through the ranks of Templeogue College and played underage rugby with Leinster but wasn’t included in the province’s full academy.
However, his excellent performances for Trinity in the All-Ireland League caught Ulster’s attention and he headed north in 2017 to join their academy.
O’Sullivan made his Ulster debut in 2018 and recently hit the 50-cap mark for the province. He will now link up with the Ireland squad as his rise continues.
Leinster loosehead Byrne will remain with the Ireland squad as he rehabs his calf issue, while Johnny Sexton and Robbie Henshaw will also “continue their respective rehab programmes,” at the IRFU high performance centre.
Munster prop John Ryan was named on the Ireland bench at Twickenham last weekend in place of Byrne but didn’t feature.
The IRFU say Ryan “flagged an issue during the warm-up which was treated but flared up again during the second half.” However, he is expected to be able to train fully this week.
