Casey to captain Ireland A side

London Irish lock Bob Casey will captain the Ireland A team to play the England Saxons in Donnybrook on Friday night.

Leinster's Jonathan Sexton, Ulster's Darren Cave and Mark McCrea and Connacht's Keith Matthews, all uncapped, will make the grade in the backline.

Props Cian Healy and Mike Ross, lock Ryan Caldwell and number eight John Muldoon, in a strong back row with Shane Jennings and Niall Best, are also four forwards on the up.

IRELAND A (v England Saxons): Gavin Duffy (Galwegians - Connacht); Andrew Trimble (Ballymena - Ulster), Darren Cave (Belfast Harlequins - Ulster)*, Keith Matthews (Buccaneers - Connacht)*, Mark McCrea (Malone -Ulster)*; Jonathan Sexton (St. Mary's College - Leinster)*, Eoin Reddan (Wasps); Cian Healy (Clontarf - Leinster)*, Sean Cronin (Buccaneers -Connacht), Mike Ross (Harlequins)*; Bob Casey (London Irish, captain), Ryan Caldwell (Dungannon - Ulster)*; Neil Best (Northampton), Shane Jennings (St. Mary's College - Leinster), John Muldoon (Galwegians - Connacht)*.

Replacements: John Fogarty (Leinster)*, John Andress (Exeter)*, Donnacha Ryan (Shannon - Munster), Sean O’Brien (Clontarf - Leinster)*, 20 - Isaac Boss (Ballymena - Ulster), Ian Humphreys (Ballymena - Ulster)*, Barry Murphy (UL Bohemian - Munster).

*denotes uncapped players