Conor Murray selected to earn 100th cap as Ireland rugby team named to play South Africa

CONOR Murray has been named in the Ireland rugby starting team to take on reigning world champions South Africa in the opening fixture of the Bank of Ireland Nations Series at Aviva Stadium on Saturday.

Kick-off is 5.30pm for a game live on Virgin Media and Amazon Prime.

Murray, a Patrickswell native, is set to earn his 100th cap for Ireland and is one of just five players in the starting team that started the last game between the two sides in 2017. Tadhg Furlong, Robbie Henshaw, Peter O’Mahony and Johnny Sexton were the other players to start against the Springbok five years ago.

There are three Munster players in the starting team - Murray, Tadhg Beirne and Peter O’Mahony. The only Munster player among the replacements is Joey Carbery.

Cian Healy, who is named on the bench for Saturday’s game, also started the 2017 game while Rob Herring, James Ryan and Joey Carbery were among the replacements that day.

Tadhg Beirne and Jack Conan have never played for Ireland against South Africa but featured against the Springboks for the British and Irish Lions in the 2021 Test Series. Furlong, Henshaw and Murray also played in that Test Series.

Finlay Bealham has experience of playing the Boks as he was a replacement in the second Test against South Africa in Johannesburg on the 2016 Tour.

Whereas Robert Baloucoune, Caelan Doris, Jamison Gibson Park, Mack Hansen, Hugo Keenan, Stuart McCloskey, Andrew Porter, Garry Ringrose, Dan Sheehan, Kieran Treadwell and Josh van der Flier have never faced South Africa at senior level.

Baloucoune missed the Summer Tour of New Zealand through injury but started against both the Griquas and the Cheetahs for Emerging Ireland last month.

Ireland captain Sexton will make his 109th appearance for Ireland this Saturday, becoming the country’s fifth most capped player of all time pushing current Forwards Coach Paul O’Connell into sixth position.

Nathan Doak, Tom Stewart and Stewart Moore have now joined the extended squad.

IRELAND:
15. Hugo Keenan (Leinster/UCD) 23 caps
14. Robert Baloucoune (Ulster/Enniskillen) 2 caps
13. Garry Ringrose (Leinster/UCD) 44 caps
12.Robbie Henshaw (Leinster/Buccaneers) 60 caps
11. Mack Hansen (Connacht) 6 caps
10. Johnny Sexton (Leinster/St Mary’s College) 108 caps
9. Conor Murray (Munster/Garryowen) 99 caps

1. Andrew Porter (Leinster/UCD) 46 caps
2. Dan Sheehan (Leinster/Lansdowne) 10 caps
3. Tadhg Furlong (Leinster/Clontarf) 60 caps
4. Tadhg Beirne (Munster/Lansdowne) 33 caps
5. James Ryan (Leinster/UCD) 46 caps
6. Peter O’Mahony (Munster/Cork Constitution) 87 caps
7. Josh van der Flier (Leinster/UCD) 43 caps
8. Caelan Doris (Leinster/St Mary’s College) 20 caps

Replacements:

16. Rob Herring (Ulster/Ballynahinch) 28 caps
17. Cian Healy (Leinster/Clontarf) 118 caps
18. Finlay Bealham (Connacht/Buccaneers) 25 caps
19. Kieran Treadwell (Ulster/Ballymena) 8 caps
20. Jack Conan (Leinster/Old Belvedere) 30 caps
21. Jamison Gibson Park (Leinster) 20 caps
22. Joey Carbery (Munster/Clontarf) 35 caps
23. Stuart McCloskey (Ulster/Bangor) 6 caps