Joe Schmidt includes two new faces in squad for summer tour

Rory Best will captain the side, who depart for Cape Town on Sunday June 5 ahead of the first test at the DHL Newlands Stadium.

Joe Schmidt includes two new faces in squad for summer tour

Joe Schmidt has named a 32-man squad for this summer’s tour of South Africa.

Two uncapped players are included in the list - Connacht lock Quinn Roux and Ulster back row Sean Reidy.

Rory Best will captain the side, who depart for Cape Town on Sunday June 5 ahead of the first test at the DHL Newlands Stadium.

They move to Johannesburg for the second game at Emirates Airline Park, before the third and final test takes place in Port Elizabeth at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium.

Some familiar faces are absent through injury or lack of game time - including Peter O’Mahony, Sean O’Brien, Simon Zebo, Tommy Bowe, Cian Healy and Nathan White.

"Touring South Africa will be arduous to say the least so we've attempted to prioritise players who are currently as close to full fitness as possible,” Schmidt said when announcing the team.

“In what is always a difficult balancing act, we've taken a long term view with a number of players who need a rest or will benefit from a full pre-season."

There is also no place in the squad for Ian Madigan, who announced in December he would leave Leinster at the end of the season to join French Top 14 club Bordeaux Bègles.

Ireland Squad for 2016 Summer Tour of South Africa

Forwards (18)

Finlay Bealham (Galway Corinthians/Connacht)

Rory Best (Banbridge/Ulster)Sean Cronin (St Marys College/Leinster)

Ultan Dillane (Galway Corinthians/Connacht)

Tadhg Furlong (Clontarf/Leinster)

Jamie Heaslip (Dublin University/Leinster) (vc)

Iain Henderson (Ballynahinch/Ulster)

David Kilcoyne (UL Bohemians/Munster)

Jack McGrath (St Marys College/Leinster)

Jordi Murphy (Lansdowne/Leinster)

Sean Reidy (Belfast Harlequins/Ulster)*

Mike Ross (Clontarf/Leinster)

Quinn Roux (Galwegians/Connacht)*

Rhys Ruddock (St Marys College/Leinster)

Donnacha Ryan (Shannon/Munster)

CJ Stander (Munster)

Richardt Strauss (Old Wesley/Leinster)

Devin Toner (Lansdowne/Leinster)

Backs (14)

Keith Earls (Young Munster/Munster)

Luke Fitzgerald (Blackrock College/Leinster)

Robbie Henshaw (Buccaneers/Connacht)

Paddy Jackson (Dungannon/Ulster)

David Kearney (Lansdowne/Leinster)

Rob Kearney (UCD/Leinster)

Kieran Marmion (Galway Corinthians/Connacht)

Luke Marshall (Ballymena/Ulster)

Conor Murray (Garryowen/Munster)

Stuart Olding (Belfast Harlequins/Ulster)

Jared Payne (Ulster)

Eoin Reddan (Old Crescent/Leinster)

Jonathan Sexton (St Marys College/Leinster)

Andrew Trimble (Ballymena/Ulster)

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