Irish Rugby

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Neve Jones will win her 50th Ireland cap as Stacey Flood and Dorothy Wall return for the first of two WXV Global Series Tests against South Africa in Cape Town.

Gloucester-Hartpury's Jones is named at hooker, while Flood and Wall are reinstalled at full-back and lock for Saturday's game at Athlone Stadium (14:00 BST).

Wall's return to partner Jane Clohessy in the second row means Fione Tuite-O'Sullivan switches to blind-side flanker, while Brittany Hogan starts at number eight to deputise for injured star Aoife Wafer.

Jemima Adams Verling, who filled in for Wafer in the 43-19 win over Japan in Cork on 3 October, drops to the bench.

Flood, who replaces Niamh Gallagher in the 15 jersey, is joined by Beibhinn Parsons and Robyn O'Connor in the back three. Anna McGann and Aoife Dalton are again paired in midfield, while Dannah O'Brien and Emily Lane continue their half-back partnership.

Linda Djougang continues at loose-head prop with Eilis Cahill at tight-head either side of Jones, while Erin King captains the team from open-side flanker.

Kate Jordan, who made her debut as a second-half replacement for King in the win over Japan, is one of six forwards on the bench alongside Beth Buttimer, Niamh O'Dowd, Sadhbh McGrath, Grace Moore and Adams Verling.

Aoibheann Reilly and Eve Higgins provide backline cover from the bench.

Ireland's only previous meeting with South Africa was a 2006 Women's Rugby World Cup match in Canada, which the Irish won 37-0.

Scott Bemand's side opened their WXV campaign with defeat by the United States before bouncing back to beat Japan in Galway. They also defeated Japan in Cork in a non-WXV Test match in Cork.

After Saturday's first meeting, Ireland face South Africa again in Cape Town on 31 October.

Ireland: Stacey Flood; Beibhinn Parsons, Anna McGann, Aoife Dalton, Robyn O'Connor; Dannah O'Brien, Emily Lane; Linda Djougang, Neve Jones, Eilis Cahill, Jane Clohessy, Dorothy Wall, Fiona Tuite-O'Sullivan, Erin King (capt), Brittany Hogan.

Replacements: Beth Buttimer, Niamh O'Dowd, Sadhbh McGrath, Kate Jordan, Grace Moore, Jemima Adams Verling, Aoibheann Reilly, Eve Higgins.

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Munster centre Alex Nankivell has signed a new contract with Munster until 2029, which opens the door to international eligibility with Ireland.

The 29-year-old joined Munster from the Chiefs in his native New Zealand in 2023 and, through World Rugby's eligibility rules, could play for Ireland in the autumn of 2028.

Nankivell, who has previously played for the Maori All Blacks and an All Blacks XV, would be 31 by the time he is eligible to play for Andy Farrell's side.

Since moving to Munster, Nankivell has established himself as a key player and bounced back from an injury-hit 2024-25 campaign to be named the province's player of the season in June.

He also played for the Barbarians against South Africa and Wales in the summer.

Ian Costello, general manager of Munster, said that Nankivell is a "highly valued and repsected member of the squad.

"He has made a massive contribution both on and off the pitch since joining Munster," said Costello.

"We are delighted that he has committed his future to the club and look forward to seeing him continue to develop as a player and build on his performances in a Munster jersey.

"He has ambitions to play at international level, and we hope to see him realise that potential in the near future."

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Ulster winger Zac Ward is a doubt for Saturday's United Rugby Championship fixture with the Bulls in Pretoria.

Ward injured his ankle in Saturday's Challenge Cup victory over Zebre in Parma having started the match on the left wing.

Ireland internationals Stuart McCloskey and Nick Timoney missed the win in Italy, but Ulster hope both will be available for selection to face the Bulls, who are coming off a 56-20 Champions Cup win over Stade Francais.

Forward Ben Donnell, back-three player Ethan McIlroy and second row Eli Snyman will be monitored throughout the week after resuming training.

Ulster are still without Eduardo Bello, Iain Henderson, Rob Herring, James Hume, Charlie Irvine, Aitzol Arenzana-King, Stewart Moore, Jude Postlethwaite, Callum Reid and Bryn Ward.

Richie Murphy's side face the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld Stadium (12:45 BST) before travelling to Cape Town, where they will take on the Stormers on 31 October (12:45 GMT).

Ulster sit 11th in the URC table after two draws and a defeat from their opening three games.

The Bulls, beaten finalists last season, and Stormers lie third and fourth in the standings having both won two out of three.

Ulster beat the Bulls 28-7 in Belfast last season and drew 38-38 with the Stormers. Last year's South African trip yielded a 34-26 win over the Sharks in Durban and 49-31 defeat by the Lions in Johannesburg.

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Ireland international Edwin Edogbo has signed a two-year extension with Munster to keep him at the province until at least 2029.

After becoming the first player from Cobh to earn a place at the Munster academy, Edogbo made his full debut in 2022 away to Dragons.

He would make eight appearances in a season in which the province claimed the United Rugby Championship title.

The 23-year-old second row has gone on to score seven tries in 31 appearances and his performances earned him a call-up to Andy Farrell's Six Nations squad last year, making his international debut in the win over Italy.

"Edwin is a talented young player with a physical profile that is highly sought after in the modern game," said Munster head coach Clayton McMillan.

"He has the size, athleticism and work ethic to make a significant impact at the highest level.

"We're grateful that Edwin has chosen to commit his future to Munster. He has worked hard through some challenging setbacks and is an important part of what we are building here.

"We look forward to seeing him continue to develop and fulfil his potential in the years ahead."

Munster's general manager Ian Costello expressed his delight Edogbo has decided to stay with Munster "despite significant interest from clubs across Europe".

"He is part of an exciting group of emerging home-grown players that are pivotal to the future success of the club," Costello continued.

"Edwin possesses unique qualities, and has the potential to excel at the highest level.

"We look forward to supporting his continued development and seeing him fulfil that potential in both a Munster and an Irish shirt."

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Four players have emerged as doubts for Ulster's Challenge Cup opener against Zebre in Parma on Saturday.

Prop Eduardo Bell, who did not feature in Saturday's United Rugby Championship draw with Munster, may not be risked after picking up a hamstring injury in training.

Second row Ben Donnell, full-back Ethan McIlroy and hooker Tom Stewart all sustained unspecified knocks in the Munster game.

Eli Snyman, who started alongside Donnell at lock on Saturday, is ruled out with a concussion.

On a more positive note, full-back Michael Lowry has returned to full team training after suffering a concussion in the opening URC loss to Edinburgh on 25 September.

After a defeat and two draws in the URC, Ulster are hunting a first win of the season against Zebre before travelling to South Africa for league games against the Bulls and Stormers.

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Ulster hooker Tom Stewart admits "I don't think I've come to the party well enough" and says the squad must have "honest conversations" after an underwhelming start to the season.

Successive draws with Glasgow and Munster after a loss to Edinburgh leaves Ulster winless in the United Rugby Championship before starting their Challenge Cup campaign away to Zebre next week.

Head coach Richie Murphy said he was "bitterly disappointed" after his side were forced to fight back for a 26-26 draw with Munster, while Stewart questioned his own contributions to the game in Belfast.

"From a personal point of view, I'm not happy with my performances about it. I don't think I've come to the party well enough, I don't know if it's my preparation or the mental side to the game," said Stewart, who captained Ulster against Glasgow and Munster in the injured Iain Henderson's absence.

"It's something I really need to have a look at and plan better or whatever it is, but I need to start understanding why that is the case."

Stewart, who marked his seventh Ireland cap with a try against Japan over the summer, added: "From my own point of view, I need to properly watch back my intent in some of the collisions and my actual process around what I'm doing.

"Then I think we need to have some honest conversations this week within ourselves, with the team, players and coaches to see where we're at."

Ulster travel to Zebre on Saturday (15:15 BST) before travelling to South Africa for difficult URC assignments against the Bulls and Stormers.

For Stewart, Ulster "can't shy away" from the shortcomings in their performances as they strive to kick-start their season.

"It's hard, when you have a game like that you don't want to watch it back," added the 25-year-old.

"You don't want to review yourself properly, you don't want to look at the hard stuff, the nitty-gritty that you haven't done well, but that's where you find the fixes, the learnings.

"The hardest stuff you watch will be the most impactful stuff going forward."