Ireland Team To Play New Zealand
An experienced Ireland side will face the All Blacks this weekend. O’Driscoll returns to centre alongside Luke Fitzgerald so we can see the much awaited new centre pairing we expected to see against the Barbarians.
With Munster now back available after the Barbarians game, seven of the pack are Munster based with only Jamie Heaslip sneaking in to join them.
Flannery returns to hooker after missing the Six Nations and makes it an entire Munster front row.
Rob Kearney showed his worth against the Barbarians and keeps the full back spot, while Eoin Reddan comes into the team.
IRELAND TEAM & REPLACEMENTS (New Zealand, Saturday, June 7, Westpac Stadium, Wellington, 7.35pm local time/8.35am Irish time (live Sky Sports 1)):
Player / Club / Caps
15 - Rob Kearney (UCD/Leinster) 6
14 - Shane Horgan (Boyne/Leinster) 61
13 - Brian O’Driscoll (UCD/Leinster) 83 (capt)
12 - Luke Fitzgerald (Blackrock College/Leinster) 4
11 - Tommy Bowe (Belfast Harlequins/Ulster) 13
10 - Ronan O’Gara (Cork Constitution/Munster) 82
9 - Eoin Reddan (Wasps) 10
1 - Marcus Horan (Shannon/Munster) 56
2 - Jerry Flannery (Shannon/Munster) 21
3 - John Hayes (Bruff/Munster) 84
4 - Donncha O’Callaghan (Cork Constitution/Munster) 45
5 - Paul O’Connell (Young Munster/Munster) 52
6 - Denis Leamy (Cork Constitution/Munster) 32
7 - David Wallace (Garryowen/Munster) 46
8 - Jamie Heaslip (Clontarf/Leinster) 8
Replacements:
16 - Rory Best (Belfast Harlequins/Ulster) 22
17 - Tony Buckley (Shannon/Munster) 7
18 - Mick O’Driscoll (Cork Constitution/Munster) 15
19 - Shane Jennings (St. Mary’s College/Leinster) 1
20 - Peter Stringer (Shannon/Munster) 82
21 - Paddy Wallace (Ballymena/Ulster) 8
22 - Girvan Dempsey (Terenure College/Leinster) 80
Not considered due to injury:
Alan Quinlan (thigh)