Casey captain as Ireland pick 11 uncapped players

Ulster scrum-half Nathan Doak is one of 11 uncapped players named in Ireland's squad for July's matches with Georgia and Portugal.

The inclusion of 15 Ireland internationals in Andy Farrell's British and Irish Lions squad has opened the door for Ireland hopefuls.

Paul O'Connell will lead Ireland in the absence of Lions coaches Farrell and Simon Easterby, and Munster scrum-half Craig Casey, 26, is set to captain the team for the first time.

Tom Ahern, Michael Milne, Shayne Bolton, Ben Murphy and Tommy O'Brien have all had experience in the senior environment but have yet to be capped at that level.

Alex Kendellen, Darragh Murray, Paddy McCarthy, Stephen Smyth and Hugh Gavin are the other potential debutants and have earned call-ups after impressing in the United Rugby Championship and the Emerging Ireland squad, which toured South Africa in September.

After missing out on Lions selection, Jack Crowley and Sam Prendergast are set to battle it out for the staring fly-half jersey for Ireland.

Such is the youthful nature of Ireland's 32-strong squad, prop Finlay Bealham and centre Stuart McCloskey are the only players included over the age of 30.

McCloskey and Doak join team-mates join prop Tom O'Toole, hooker Tom Stewart, versatile forward Cormac Izuchukwu, back row Nick Timoney and wing Jacob Stockdale in the squad.

The Ulster trio of James McNabney, Jude Postlethwaite and Zac Ward have been included as training panellists, but hooker Rob Herring and second row Iain Henderson have not been named as they have recently returned from injury.

Leinster centre Robbie Henshaw has missed out of selection after being sidelined through injury.

O'Connell, who won 108 Ireland caps as a player, said the tour "presents an opportunity" for fringe players to impress the coaching set-up.

"I believe we have a strong blend of youth and experience for what will be a trip into relatively uncharted territories this July," he said.

"A number of players have been really close to selection in recent times and it's important that everyone grasps the challenge that's ahead of them."

"Every moment on the training field and across the two-match Series will count and there's a great opportunity for players to step up and impress."

O'Connell added that Georgia have made "great strides" in recent years and he is expecting "another tough test" with Portugal, who Ireland will face for the first time.

He added that scrum-half Casey "is a real leader" and warranted his selection as captain for the tour.

"He is a real leader with a strong personality and it is a huge personal honour for him," O'Connell added.

"It's an opportunity that I know he will relish over the coming weeks."

Forwards: Tom Ahern (Munster), Ryan Baird (Leinster), Finlay Bealham (Connacht), Jack Boyle (Leinster), Thomas Clarkson (Leinster), Gavin Coombes (Munster), Max Deegan (Leinster), Cormac Izuchukwu (Ulster), Alex Kendellen (Munster), Gus McCarthy (Leinster), Paddy McCarthy (Leinster), Michael Milne (Munster), Darragh Murray (Connacht), Tom O'Toole (Ulster), Cian Prendergast (Connacht), Stephen Smyth (Leinster), Tom Stewart (Ulster), Nick Timoney (Ulster).

Backs: Shayne Bolton (Connacht), Craig Casey (Munster), Jack Crowley (Munster), Nathan Doak (Ulster), Ciaran Frawley (Leinster), Hugh Gavin (Connacht), Stuart McCloskey (Ulster), Ben Murphy (Connacht), Calvin Nash (Munster), Jimmy O'Brien (Leinster), Tommy O'Brien (Leinster), Jamie Osborne (Leinster), Sam Prendergast (Leinster), Jacob Stockdale (Ulster).

Training panellists: James McNabney (Ulster), Jude Postlethwaite (Ulster), Zac Ward (Ulster).

Fixtures

Saturday, 5 July: Georgia v Ireland, Mikheil Meskhi Stadium, Tbilisi (kick off 18:00 BST)

Saturday, 12 July: Portugal v Ireland, Estadio Nacional do Jamor, Lisbon (kick off 19:00 BST)