Irish team to play NZ tour match named

The Irish team to play a New Zealand Divisional XV in the first of their three match tour to New Zealand on Saturday, June 8, in Timaru at 06:05am (Irish time) has been named.

15 Girvan Dempsey (Leinster/Terenure College)

14 Justin Bishop (London Irish)

13 Brian O’Driscoll (Leinster/Blackrock College)

12 Mel Deane (Sale)

11 Tyrone Howe (Ulster/Dungannon)

10 David Humphreys (Ulster/Dungannon)

9 Guy Easterby (Llanelli)

1 Reggie Corrigan (Leinster/Lansdowne)

2 Keith Wood (Harlequins) Captain

3 John Hayes (Munster/Shannon)

4 Gary Longwell (Ulster/Ballymena)

5 Paul O’Connell (Munster/Young Munster)

6 Alan Quinlan (Munster/Shannon)

7 Keith Gleeson (Leinster/St Mary’s College)

8 Anthony Foley (Munster/Shannon)

The replacement will be announced later.

Centre Mel Deane is the only uncapped player on the Ireland team for which second row Malcom O’Kelly was not considered because of a shin injury.