Three uncapped players included as Ireland squad named for summer tour of South Africa

Ireland will play two tests against the Springboks.

Tue, 18 Jun, 2024 - 16:39

Simon Lewis

Peter O’Mahony will lead a 35-man Ireland squad to South Africa for a two-Test series with the Springboks but Andy Farrell has been forced to omit scrum-half Jamison Gibson-Park and Jack Conan.

Already missing first-choice full-back Hugo Keenan, selected for next month’s Olympic Games in the Ireland Men’s Sevens squad, the Six Nations champions will also go head to head with the 2019 and 2023 World Cup winners without their number one scrum-half after Gibson-Park was ruled out with a hamstring injury following Leinster’s URC semi-final exit to the Bulls in Pretoria last Saturday.

Ireland will take three uncapped players for the July 5 and July 12 Tests at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria and Durban’s Kings Park, with Leinster duo Jamie Osborne and Sam Prendergast continuing their involvement in Irish camps and Ulster back-five forward Cormac Izuchukwu earning a first call-up.

Munster wing Calvin Nash has passed fit having missed his province’s semi-final defeat at home to Glasgow Warriors last Saturday with a leg knock and with Connacht’s Mack Hansen still absent following a dislocated shoulder injury sustained on January 1, the Limerick man could continue his run in the Test side having played in all five of the title-winning Six Nations campaign matches.

Back-rower Conan will not get the chance to add to his 46 caps having elected to stay at home for personal reasons but Connacht’s Cian Prendergast, capped three times, returns to fill the breach with Nick Timoney of Ulster also vying a place in the Test squad.

Farrell has given a vote of confidence to captain O’Mahony by retaining the veteran Munster flanker, who recently signed a new provincial contract to take the 34-year-old into a probable 105th Ireland appearance in next month’s first Test.

"I am proud to be asked to lead Ireland in South Africa, a country which provides one of the toughest challenges in world rugby,” O’Mahony said in a statement accompanying the squad announcement on Tuesday.

"As reigning world champions, South Africa will provide the sternest of tests and we know that we will have to perform at a high level to get the results we want. There’s a lot of respect and familiarity between both countries in recent years at international and Club levels, since they were invited to join the URC and European Cup competitions, and we know the challenge that awaits."

In selecting Sam Prendergast and Leinster team-mate Ciaran Frawley as fly-half options alongside first-choice 10 Jack Crowley, head coach Farrell has omitted brothers Ross and Harry Byrne in favour of less experienced play-makers while Caolin Blade comes in as a scrum-half alongside Craig Casey and Test centurion Conor Murray, who will be favourite to start at number nine in Gibson-Park’s absence.

Jimmy O’Brien will be the front-runner to start at full-back with Keenan out of the picture while the versatile Frawley is another option.

Centre Garry Ringrose is also included having only returned last Saturday from the shoulder injury that restricted him to just 24 minutes of game time during the Six Nations. He played his first game for Leinster since January 20 in their URC last-four loss at the Bulls.

"Travelling to South Africa to play a Test Series against the defending world champions provides no greater test for us, and it is another valuable opportunity for us to further grow and develop from the Guinness Six Nations,” Farrell said.

"The squad will come together in Dublin this week in preparation for the Tour and the group understands the need to hit the ground running, ensuring we are the best version of ourselves for the challenge ahead."

Murray, Finlay Bealham, Tadhg Furlong, and Robbie Henshaw are the only survivors from the 2016 tour party which delivered a first Ireland Test victory on South African soil, a 26-20 win at Cape Town’s Newlands which was also Andy Farrell’s first involvement as predecessor Joe Schmidt’s defence coach.

South Africa head coach Rassie Erasmus earlier on Tuesday named his Springboks side to face Wales at Twickenham this Saturday, the world champions first outing since retaining the Webb Ellis Cup in Paris last October. Malcolm Marx returns at hooker for his first Test action since their World Cup opener against Scotland last September. Marx injured a knee in training shortly afterwards.

The Boks, without their Bulls contingent ahead of the URC Grand Final the same day, also hand debuts to starting wing Edwill van der Merwe and fly-half Jordan Hendrikse, as well as potential first caps for replacements Ben-Jason Dixon and Sacha Feinberg.

Forwards:

Ryan Baird (Leinster)

Finlay Bealham (Connacht)

Tadhg Beirne (Munster)

Caelan Doris (Leinster)

Tadhg Furlong (Leinster)

Cian Healy (Leinster)

Rob Herring (Ulster)

Cormac Izuchukwu (Ulster)*

Oli Jager (Munster)

Ronan Kelleher (Leinster)

Joe McCarthy (Leinster)