Paul O'Connell names his Ireland rugby team to play Georgia with one Limerick man starting

IRELAND men’s interim Head Coach Paul O’Connell has named the Ireland team to face Georgia in the opening game of the two-Test Summer series on Saturday evening in Mikheil Meskhi Stadium, Tbilisi at 6pm Irish time.

There are two new caps in the starting side and a further four uncapped players in the replacements.

Limerick man Craig Casey will captain Ireland for the first time and the Munster man will become the 112th Ireland Test captain since 1875. He is the 3rd scrum-half to captain Ireland in the professional era after Niall Hogan (3 times) and Eoin Reddan (once).

Casey and Gavin Coombes are the only Munster players in the startling line-up with Calvin Nash, Michael Milne, Tom Ahern and Jack Crowley on the bench.

READ MORE: Limerick schools rugby trio named in Ireland U18 squad for international series in South Africa

Craig Casey forms a half-back partnership with Sam Prendergast, with Stuart McCloskey and Jamie Osborne set to link up in midfield. Winger Tommy O’Brien will make his debut in a back three which includes his provincial colleague Jimmy O’Brien and Jacob Stockdale who is set to earn his 39th cap.

Stockdale needs one more try to become the 21st Irish player to score 100+ points for Ireland and the first since Jack Crowley. It would also move him to Ireland’s outright 6th leading try scorer and he currently shares that position with Girvan Dempsey and Geordan Murphy.

The second starting debutant sees Connacht’s Darragh Murray form a second-row partnership alongside Cormac Izuchukwu. Jack Boyle, hooker Gus McCarthy and Thomas Clarkson start in the front row with Ryan Baird, Nick Timoney and number eight Gavin Coombes named in the back-row to complete the starting pack.

In all there are potentially four further debutants on the replacements bench with Munster duo Michael Milne and Tom Ahern as well as Connacht pair Jack Aungier and scrum-half Ben Murphy set to make their respective international bows. The quartet are joined by Tom Stewart, Cian Prendergast and Calvin Nash.

Looking ahead to this weekend’s fixture in Tbilisi, Paul O’Connell said: “I have been impressed by the application of the squad ahead of this two-Test tour and Saturday’s game presents an exciting opportunity for this group of players. To Craig (Casey), I would like to congratulate him on his first game as captain. Craig has taken to captaincy impressively. He’s going to relish leading his country and I know how keen he is to make his mark alongside the rest of the players.

This weekend is also an extra special one for six players who are set to make their international debuts. To Tommy and Darragh, who get the chance to start, as well as the four others who will be ready to make their mark from the bench, I wish them well and the squad are determined to make it a memorable occasion for them and their families.
Though light in terms of international caps in some areas, there’s also a nice blend of experience in the squad.”

Saturday’s game in Tbilisi will be Ireland’s 764th Men’s Test and it will be broadcast live on Virgin Media.

Ireland Team
15: Jimmy O’Brien (Naas/Leinster)
14: Tommy O’Brien (UCD/Leinster)
13: Jamie Osborne (Naas/Leinster)
12: Stuart McCloskey (Bangor/Ulster)
11: Jacob Stockdale (Lurgan/Ulster)
10: Sam Prendergast (Lansdowne/Leinster)
9: Craig Casey (Shannon/Munster)

1: Jack Boyle (UCD/Leinster)
2: Gus McCarthy (UCD/Leinster)
3: Thomas Clarkson (Dublin University/Leinster)
4: Cormac Izuchukwu (Ballynahinch/Ulster)
5: Darragh Murray (Buccaneers/Connacht)
6: Ryan Baird (Dublin University/Leinster)
7: Nick Timoney (Banbridge/Ulster)
8: Gavin Coombes (Young Munster/Munster)

Replacements:

16: Tom Stewart (Ballynahinch/Ulster)
17: Michael Milne (UCD/Munster)
18: Jack Aungier (Clontarf/Connacht)
19: Tom Ahern (Shannon/Munster)
20: Cian Prendergast (UCD/Connacht)
21: Ben Murphy (Clontarf/Connacht)
22: Jack Crowley (Cork Constitution/Munster)
23: Calvin Nash (Young Munster/Munster)