Interim Ireland Men’s Head Coach Paul O’Connell has named a 32-man squad for the two-Test Summer Tour of Georgia and Portugal, scheduled for 5th July and 12th July respectively.
The squad will be captained by Craig Casey, the Munster scrum-half, who is set to become the 112th captain of Ireland since 1875.
O’Connell has selected 11 uncapped players, highlighting the tour’s role in building squad depth and giving high-potential players valuable international exposure.
Players such as Tom Ahern, Michael Milne, Shayne Bolton, Nathan Doak, Ben Murphy, and Tommy O’Brien, who have had recent involvement in the national setup, will be aiming to earn their first caps.
Meanwhile, Alex Kendellen, Darragh Murray, Paddy McCarthy, Stephen Smyth, and Hugh Gavin have received their first senior call-ups following standout performances for their provinces and the Emerging Ireland squad earlier this season.
Ulster’s James McNabney, Jude Postlethwaite, and Zac Ward have been named as training panellists and will join the squad at the IRFU High Performance Centre on Monday, 23 June.
This tour marks Ireland’s sixth encounter with Georgia, and it will be their first-ever senior men’s international against Portugal.
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The Ireland squad will convene in Dublin for a training camp before departing for Tbilisi on Wednesday, 2 July. The match-day squad for the opener against Georgia will be announced on Thursday, 3 July.
Broadcast details for both matches will be confirmed by the host unions in due course.
Paul O’Connell on the Tour:
“I’m delighted to announce the Ireland squad for the Summer Tour and I believe we have a strong blend of youth and experience for what will be a trip into relatively uncharted territories this July.”
Ireland Squad – Summer Tour 2025
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, captain), 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
