Three new caps in Kidney's summer tour squad
An Ireland squad of 33 players was today announced for the 2010 summer tour to New Zealand and Australia, with Munster talisman Paul O'Connell included despite having been a major doubt with a groin injury.
The Munster lock has not played since Ireland’s final RBS 6 Nations match on March 20 and has been receiving intravenous antibiotics in a Cork hospital, but has been deemed fit enough to take his place in Declan Kidney’s squad.
Stephen Ferris, though, misses out with a broken cheekbone sustained in training earlier this month, while fellow back-rower Denis Leamy and back Luke Fitzgerald are ruled out by knee problems.
The squad includes three uncapped players with forwards Chris Henry and Dan Tuohy making the tour party as competition in the back row and second row respectively. The other uncapped player is Fergus McFadden who, along with Tuohy, will be making their first senior tour for Ireland.
Ireland will begin the tour with a game against the Barbarians in Thomond Park on Friday June 4 before flying out for a meeting with New Zealand in New Plymouth on June 12.
The New Zealand Maoris team is the next opposition for Ireland in Rotorua on June 18 as part of the Maoris centenary celebrations. The final game of the tour will see Ireland playing their Rugby World Cup Pool C opponents Australia in Brisbane on June 26.
SQUAD:
Rory Best (Banbridge/Ulster)
Tommy Bowe (Ospreys)
Tony Buckley (Shannon/Munster)
Tom Court (Malone/Ulster)
Sean Cronin (Buccaneers/Connacht)
Gordon D'Arcy (Lansdowne/Leinster)
Keith Earls (Young Munster/Munster)
Jerry Flannery (Shannon/Munster)
John Hayes (Bruff/Munster)
Cian Healy (Clontarf/Leinster)
Jamie Heaslip (Naas/Leinster)
Chris Henry (Ballymena/Ulster)*
Marcus Horan (Shannon/Munster)
Shane Horgan (Boyne/Leinster)
Shane Jennings (St.Mary's College/Leinster)
Robert Kearney (UCD/Leinster)
Fergus McFadden (Old Belvedere/Leinster)*
Kevin McLaughlin (St.Mary's College/Leinster)
John Muldoon (Galwegians/Connacht)
Geordan 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)
Eoin Reddan (Lansdowne/Leinster)
Jonathan Sexton (St.Mary's College/Leinster)
Peter Stringer (Shannon/Munster)
Andrew Trimble (Ballymena/Ulster)
Dan Tuohy (Ballymena/Ulster)*
David Wallace (Garryowen/Munster)
Paddy Wallace (Ballymena/Ulster)
*Denotes uncapped player
