Ireland reveal 'A' team to take on England in Bristol

There are five Connacht players in the XV, four from Munster and three apiece from Leinster and Ulster.

CHANCE TO IMPRESS: Munster's Shane Daly will start at fullback for Ireland A against England on Sunday. Pic: ©INPHO/Laszlo Geczo

Opportunity knocks in a range of different ways for Ireland’s cast of Test wannabes. Two Emerging Ireland tours have served as fast tracks for more than a few in the last three years. An 'A' game against England in Bristol on Sunday provides another.

It’s over two years since an Irish team last played under this guise, when a New Zealand equivalent put a 47-19 beating on them at the RDS. The narrative since then is that many paid for that collective failing with a slowing of individual progress through the ranks.