URC: Max Deegan and Jacob Stockdale raise hands for Ireland calls

With Andy Farrell due to name his squad for the Autumn Nations Series on Wednesday, the weekend was the last chance for some of the players on the fringes to impress the Ireland head coach.

Certainly, a handful of players did their chances no harm as they bid to get game time against New Zealand, Argentina, Fiji and Australia in November.

Chief among the hopefuls is Max Deegan, who won the last of his two caps two years ago against Fiji, that coming in a substitute appearance, following on two years from his previous cap in a brief Six Nations cameo against Wales in 2020.

Breaking into the Leinster backrow for European action is a brutally difficult task and he didn't make a matchday squad in the Champions Cup last season.

The path to an Ireland recall is even harder given Ireland captain Peter O’Mahony plays there, while Munster skipper Tadhg Beirne comes into the mix; he was selected at 6 for the second Test in South Africa over the summer.

Ulster pair Cormac Izuchukwu and Nick Timoney, and Connacht’s Cian Prendergast all travelled on that tour as well, while Deegan, who captained Emerging Ireland in 2022, hasn’t made ground since.

Speaking to RTÉ Sport earlier this month the 28-year-old, who was linked with a move to another province last season but signed a new Leinster contract, admitted that his was a crucial period if he aims to make a breakthrough.

"My game is feeling good, I'm playing a good bit more at 6, I feel like that suits my game well," he said.

On what he needed to step up to the next level, he said: "You want to have big moments, lineout steals, poaches or big moments in attack.

"Also, just the nuts and bolts of being a 6, big tackles, being an enforcer in the team and that's something I'm looking to bring into