Wallace has spent most of his rugby at inside centre for both Ulster and Ireland in recent seasons and will partner Stringer with 91 caps. This should give Stringer some game time if anything happens to Sexton or O’Gara.

In 1956 an invitational side “The Wolfhounds” was created by Karl Mullen and Jack Kyle to spread the rugby gospel to small towns and villages of Ireland. Over the years many great names in Irish Rugby represent the Wolfhounds including Brendan Mullin, Willie John McBride and Sir Anthony O’Reilly. The team much like the Barbarians had no home ground.

The last recorded appearance of the Irish Wolfhounds was in 1987 when they played against Greystones at Dr. Hickey Park to celebrate the club’s golden Jubilee.

After a recent competition among supporters club members – the Ireland A team will be rebreanded as the Irish Wolfhounds after their game against England Saxons, their first game will be against Scotland ‘A’ at Ravenhill on February 5th.

IRELAND ‘A’ Team & Replacements (v England Saxons, Recreation Ground, Bath, Sunday, January 31, kick-off 2pm):

15 - Gavin Duffy (Galwegians/Connacht)
14 - Fionn Carr (Galwegians/Connacht)
13 - Fergus McFadden (Old Belvedere/Leinster)
12 - Keith Matthews (Buccaneers/Connacht)
11 - Ian Dowling (Shannon/Munster)
10 - Paddy Wallace (Ballymena/Ulster)
9 - Peter Stringer (Shannon/Munster)
1 - Marcus Horan (Shannon/Munster)
2 - Rory Best (Banbridge/Ulster)
3 - Tony Buckley (Shannon/Munster)
4 - Mick O’Driscoll (Cork Constitution/Munster) (capt)
5 - Devin Toner (Lansdowne/Leinster)
6 - Shane Jennings (St.Mary’s College/Leinster)
7 - Sean O’Brien (Clontarf/Leinster)
8 - John Muldoon (Galwegians/Connacht)

Replacements:

16 - John Fogarty (De La Salle Palmerston/Leinster)
17 - Mike Ross (Clontarf/Leinster)
18 - Ryan Caldwell (Dungannon/Ulster)
19 - Niall Ronan (Shannon/Munster)
20 - Isaac Boss (Ballymena/Ulster)
21 - Ian Humphreys (Ballymena/Ulster)
22 - Darren Cave (Belfast Harlequins/Ulster)

They’ll all want to impress, from the fringe players to those established and needing to show some form to Kidney.

Trimble makes a return after a quiet season, Best, Horan and Hurley have all recovered from injuries and need reintroducing to this level.

“There are a few guys who have not had much game time over Christmas,” said Irish team manager Paul McNaughton. “Marcus has had 60 to 70 minutes with Shannon, so he’s had about 120 minutes of club rugby and the last 10 minutes of the Munster game.

“Rory had about 60 minutes in a club game last week. He’d be expected to get game time (against Saxons). So, the A game is an opportunity for Marcus and Rory because they haven’t been playing for the last two or three months.”

They’ll have even more to prove with several of the full ireland squad players sitting out training yesterday (Stephen Ferris, Donncha O’Callaghan, Seán Cronin, Ronan O’Gara, Gordon D’Arcy, Jonathan Sexton and Shane Horgan), all eyes are on the first game against Italy and other than Fitzgerald (long term injured) nobody has been discounted.

Declan Kidney was keen to stress that there were three priorities with this squad, Ireland A fixtures, the opening Six Nations game against Italy and the Rugby World Cup.

Nine uncapped players feature in the squad, along with a couple of returns in Rory Best and Marcus Horan.

IRELAND Squad (2010 RBS 6 Nations Championship):

Rory Best (Banbridge/Ulster)
Isaac Boss (Ballymena/Ulster)
Tommy Bowe (Ospreys)
Tony Buckley (Shannon/Munster)
Tom Court (Malone/Ulster)
Sean Cronin (Buccaneers/Connacht)
Leo Cullen (Blackrock College/Leinster)
Gordon D’Arcy (Lansdowne/Leinster)
Ian Dowling (Shannon/Munster)
Keith Earls (Young Munster/Munster)
Stephen Ferris (Dungannon/Ulster)
Declan Fitzpatrick (Belfast Harlequins/Ulster)*
Jerry Flannery (Shannon/Munster)
John Fogarty (De La Salle Palmerston/Leinster)*
John Hayes (Bruff/Munster)
Cian Healy (Clontarf/Leinster)
Jamie Heaslip (Naas/Leinster)
Chris Henry (Ballymena/Ulster)*
Marcus Horan (Shannon/Munster)
Shane Horgan (Boyne/Leinster)
Denis Hurley (Cork Constitution/Munster)
Shane Jennings (St. Mary’s College/Leinster)
Rob Kearney (UCD/Leinster)
Fergus McFadden (Old Belvedere/Leinster)*
Kevin McLaughlin (St. Mary’s College/Leinster)*
Johne Murphy (Leicester)*
Donncha O’Callaghan (Cork Constitution/Munster)
Paul O’Connell (Young Munster/Munster)
Mick O’Driscoll (Cork Constitution/Munster)
Brian O’Driscoll (UCD/Leinster)
Ronan O’Gara (Cork Constitution/Munster)
Tomas O’Leary (Dolphin/Munster)
Sean O’Brien (Clontarf/Leinster)
Eoin Reddan (Lansdowne/Leinster)
Mike Ross (Clontarf/Leinster)
Donnacha Ryan (Shannon/Munster)
Jonathan Sexton (St. Mary’s College/Leinster)
Peter Stringer (Shannon/Munster)
Devin Toner (Lansdowne/Leinster)*
Andrew Trimble (Ballymena/Ulster)
Dan Tuohy (Ballymena/Ulster)*
David Wallace (Garryowen/Munster)
Paddy Wallace (Ballymena/Ulster)
Brett Wilkinson (Galwegians/Connacht)*

* Denotes uncapped player

IRELAND A

Connacht coach Michael Bradley will continue in charge of the A team, against Tonga and Argentina in November, the team will also play England Saxons and Scotland A next year – where they will be managed by Joey Miles.

IRELAND WOMEN

Ireland Women’s team will be managed by Rachael Reid and have new head coach Kevin West to build on last years success in the Six Nations where they qualified outright for the Women’s World Cup due to their success!

IRELAND YOUTH

U-20’s will continue to be coached by Allen Clarke, and be joined by new manager Michael Kearney. Clarke will also be working with the U-19 side (containing both clubs and schools players) in one of their fixtures against the Australian U-19 team.

U-19 Schools will also play Australia under the guidance of Terr McMaster. Both of the U-19’s will be under the management of former Ireland Schools team manager Barry McGonigle.

To ensure continuity Terr My McMaster will continue to coach the U-18 Schools team along with former internationals Kelly Gooks and Garbiel Fulcher. The U-18 Club side will also gain from continuity with  Greg Lynch coaching and Willie Gribben managing.

The AIB Club International side which gives club players the change to represent Ireland in fixtures against England and Scotland will have a manager announced at a later date.

The action was part of the Churchill Cup which saw the two teams clash in the final. Before this, the Irish had played against Georgia in another action packed game.

The star of the game was undoubtedly Fergus McFadden who was called an inspiration by the rest of the team. He bettered his two tries in the last game by ensuring that he got three conversions and ensured a safe penalty during the clash against the Saxons. The Irish A team scored six tries in all with Isaac Boss, Sean Cronin, John Muldoon, Johnne Murphy, Devin Toner and Felix Jones all placing the ball on the right side of the try line.

On the day the Irish just proved too strong for the Saxons who seemed to be taken by surprise, when it came to the intensity of play of their opposition. This is the first time that the Irish have lifted the Churchill cup and in so doing they have ended a two year run by the Saxons. The final score saw the Irish trounce the Saxons by 49 points to 22.

This certainly is proving to be a great year for Irish rugby and who knows what else they will win during the course of the year.

IRELAND ‘A’: Felix Jones (Seapoint/Leinster); Denis Hurley (Cork Constitution/Munster), Fergus McFadden (UCD/Leinster), Keith Matthews (Buccaneers/Connacht), Johne Murphy (Leicester Tigers); Jonathan Sexton (St. Mary’s College/Leinster), Isaac Boss (Ballymena/Ulster); Cian Healy (Clontarf/Leinster), Sean Cronin (Buccaneers/Connacht), Tony Buckley (Shannon/Munster), Donnacha Ryan (Shannon/Munster), Devin Toner (Lansdowne/Leinster), Neil Best (Northampton Saints) (capt), Niall Ronan (Shannon/Munster), Chris Henry (Ballymena/Ulster).

Replacements used: Niall O’Connor (Belfast Harlequins/Ulster) for Henry (44 mins), John Muldoon (Galwegians/Connacht) for O’Connor (52), Denis Fogarty (Cork Constitution/Munster) for Cronin (63), Bryan Young (Ballymena/Ulster) for Healy, Trevor Hogan (Blackrock College/Leinster) for Toner, Simon Keogh (Old Belvedere/Leinster) for Boss, James Downey (Northampton Saints) for Matthews (all 75).

ENGLAND SAXONS: Nick Abendanon (Bath); Noah Cato (Saracens), Dominic Waldouck (London Wasps), Brad Barritt (Saracens), Tom Varndell (Leicester Tigers); Stephen Myler (Northampton Saints), Micky Young (Newcastle Falcons); David Flatman (Bath), Rob Webber (London Wasps), Dan Cole (Leicester Tigers), Stuart Hooper (Bath), Nick Kennedy (London Irish), Phil Dowson (Newcastle Falcons) (capt), Ben Woods (Leicester Tigers), Luke Narraway (Gloucester).

Replacements used: Dean Schofield (Sale Sharks) for Hooper (54 mins), Tom Guest (Harlequins) for Narraway, Tom Mercey (Saracens) for Cole (both 56), Danny Cipriani (London Wasps) for Myler, Shane Geraghty (London Irish) for Barritt (both 60), Joe Simpson (London Wasps) for Young (65), Joe Ward (London Wasps) for Webber (70).

Referee: Matt Goddard (Australia)

The changes represent the rotating strategy that the Irish coach Declan Kidney has adopted throughout the tournament. The main aim of this is to give the players valuable match experience which will help in their personal goals towards making the Irish team.  Interestingly most of the changes are simply a case of swapping starting and benched players and all have a similar degree of match experience.

The seven changes include Dennis Hurley to start at right wing, the left wing will be filled by Johne Murphy and Keith Mathews is to play at centre. Isaac Boss and Jonathan Sexton will both get starting positions as scrum and out half respectively. Chris Henry and Neil Best (who will also take on the captaincy) are the two starting flankers for this game and finally Sean Cronin will be the starting hooker.

The coaching staff are positive about their chances against the English, who are the defending champions.  There is a sense of cautious optimism in the camp and the feeling that the team is definitely up for the challenge. It is clear that both teams will want to make a strong statement on the day.

IRELAND ‘A’ TEAM & REPLACEMENTS

15 – Felix Jones (Seapoint/Leinster)
14 – Denis Hurley (Cork Constitution/Munster)
13 – Fergus McFadden (UCD/Leinster)
12 – Keith Matthews (Buccaneers/Connacht)
11 – Johne Murphy (Leicester Tigers)
10 – Jonathan Sexton (St. Mary’s College/Leinster)
9 – Isaac Boss (Ballymena/Ulster)
1 – Cian Healy (Clontarf/Leinster)
2 – Sean Cronin (Buccaneers/Connacht)
3 – Tony Buckley (Shannon/Munster)
4 – Donnacha Ryan (Shannon/Munster)
5 – Devin Toner (Lansdowne/Leinster)
6 – Neil Best (Northampton Saints) (capt)
7 – Niall Ronan (Shannon/Munster)
8 – Chris Henry (Ballymena/Ulster)

Replacements:

16 – Denis Fogarty (Cork Constitution/Munster)
17 – Bryan Young (Ballymena/Ulster)
18 – Trevor Hogan (Blackrock College/Leinster)
19 – John Muldoon (Galwegians/Connacht)
20 – Simon Keogh (OId Belvedere/Leinster)
21 – Niall O’Connor (Belfast Harlequins/Ulster)
22 – James Downey (Northampton Saints)

The changes that have been made to the side are indicative of the level of depth that coach Declan Kidney has to choose from. He has made sure he has kept his options open for a clash that the Irish management say they are ready for.

Changes include Cian Healy at loosehead prop, Denis Fogarty at hooker and Trevor Hogan will start on this occasion. Sean O’Brien has been ruled out due to a knee injury and he is to be replaced by Niall Ronan. The back row is perhaps the most altered with three changes in the line up. These are James Downey, Simon Keogh and Felix Jones who will make his debut in this game.

Georgia has followed the same trend of change and has made ten alterations to its team. Only time will tell which selection will prove to be the most effective but both teams are prepared for a cracker when they meet.

IRELAND ‘A’: Felix Jones (Old Belvedere/Leinster); Simon Keogh (Old Belvedere/Leinster), Fergus McFadden (UCD/Leinster), James Downey (Northampton Saints), Johne Murphy (Leicester); Niall O’Connor (Belfast Harlequins/Ulster), Frank Murphy (Buccaneers/Connacht); Cian Healy (Clontarf/Leinster), Denis Fogarty (Cork Constitution/Munster), Tony Buckley (Shannon/Munster), Trevor Hogan (Blackrock College/Leinster), Donnacha Ryan (Shannon/Munster), Neil Best (Northampton Saints), Niall Ronan (Shannon/Munster), John Muldoon (Galwegians/Connacht) (capt).

Replacements: Sean Cronin (Buccaneers/Connacht), Bryan Young (Ballymena/Ulster), Devin Toner (Lansdowne/Leinster), Chris Henry (Ballymena/Ulster), Isaac Boss (Ballymena/Ulster), Jonathan Sexton (St. Mary’s College/Leinster), Keith Matthews (Buccaneers/Connacht).

GEORGIA: Teimuraz Sokhadze (Unattached); George Elizbarashvili (Lokomotivi), Aleksander Todua (Lelo), Revaz Gigauri (Massy), Lekso Gugava (Lokomotivi Tbilisi); Merab Kvirikashvili (Massy), Giorgi Rokhvadze (AIA); David Dadunashvili (Perigaux), Jaba Bregvadze (Kochebi Tbilisi), Giorgi Jgenti (Oyonnax), Kakhaver Uchava (Costanca Farul), Giorgi Nemsadze (Domont), Grigol Labadze (Unattached) (capt), Simon Maisuradze (Clermont Auvergne), Zviad Maisuradze (Lokomotivi).

Replacements: Iuri Natriashvili (Farul Constanca), Zero Petriashvili (Lokomotivi), Vasil Kakovin (Universteti), Rati Urushadze (Enisei-STM), Lasha Malaguradze (Beziers), Davit Kacharava (Enisei-STM), David Losaberidze (AIA).

Referee: Matt Goddard (Australia)

A key advantage for Browne is his versatility and the fact that he can play in the first or second row. This is a crucial adjustment to the Ireland A team as they try to improve upon performances past in the Churchill Cup.

Browne is set to join the team in the next couple of days.

The Churchill Cup is often viewed as a tournament in which the second teams of countries take part and the Ireland A Squad was announced today for this tournament. The event takes place in Colorado in the United States and the squad sees the inclusion of six players that have been capped at senior level.

Despite the impression that this is a second string side tournament, these players are going to benefit from the coaching of the senior staff. It is all part of their plan to increase the number of players that can be considered for the senior team that is set to take part in the 2011 World Cup.

John Muldoon as been selected as the team’s captain and he will be working closely with management to groom players that are less experienced. Isaac Boss and Neil Best are amongst the more experienced players that are in the squad.  The group will also later be joined by some players set to take part in the Heineken Cup Final.

The tournament is expected to be a tough one but all the players are looking forward to the opportunity to prove their mettle for selection to the senior side.

Ireland A Churchill Cup Squad (27):
John Andress (Exeter Chiefs) *
Neil Best (Northampton Saints)
Isaac Boss (Ballymena/Ulster)
Tony Buckley (Shannon/Munster)
Fionn Carr (Galwegians/Connacht)*
Sean Cronin (Buccaneers/Connacht)*
James Downey (Northampton Saints) *
Dennis Fogarty (Cork Constitution/Munster)*
Cian Healy (Clontarf/Leinster)*
Chris Henry (Ballymena/Ulster)*
Trevor Hogan (Blackrock College/Leinster)
Denis Hurley (Cork Constitution/Munster)*
Felix Jones (Old Belvedere/Leinster)*
Simon Keogh (Old Belvedere/Leinster)*
Keith Matthews (Buccaneers/Connacht)*
Fergus McFadden (UCD/Leinster)*
John Muldoon (Buccaneers/Connacht)* Captain
Frank Murphy (Buccaneers/Connacht)*
Johne Murphy (Leicester Tigers)*
Sean O’Brien (Clontarf/Leinster)*
Niall O’Connor (Belfast Harlequins/Ulster)*
Ed O’Donoghue (Instonians/Ulster)*
Niall Ronan (Shannon/Munster)*
Donnacha Ryan (Shannon/Munster)
Jonathan Sexton (St Mary’s College/Leinster)*
Devon Toner (Lansdowne/Leinster)*
Bryan Young (Ballymena/Ulster)