Paul O'Connell names Ireland squad and Munster star as captain for summer test games against Georgia and Portugal
CRAIG Casey will captain Ireland for their summer Tests against Georgia and Portugal.
With
2
Paul O'Connell taking over head coach duties during Andy Farrell's Lions sabbatical
2
Craig Casey was named Ireland captain for the first time in his career
It includes 11 uncapped players, although Tom Ahern, Michael Milne, Shayne Bolton, Nathan Doak, Ben Murphy and Tommy O'Brien have previously been in camp.
Alex Kendellen, Darragh Murray, Paddy McCarthy, Stephen Smyth and Hugh Gavin all win their first call-ups whilst Ulster trio James McNabney, Jude Postlethwaite and Zac Ward will train with the squad in Dublin before it leaves for the matches in Tbilisi and Lisbon.
Robbie Henshaw was
But O'Connell can still call on established stars such as Casey,
Read more on Rugby
Brothers Cian and
O'Connell said: 'I believe we have a strong blend of youth and experience for what will be a trip into relatively uncharted territories this July.
'Georgia have made great strides in recent years, and they have made significant investment in their rugby programme which has established them amongst the leading emerging sides in international rugby.
'Under the experience of Richard Cockerill they have built on a traditionally strong forward unit with a talented backline and they will provide a tough test for us.
Most read in Rugby Union
'Portugal showcased their attacking prowess during the Rugby World Cup 2023 and Simon Mannix is a coach I know having worked with him previously. They play with confidence and we're expecting another tough test.
'With 15 players away with The British & Irish Lions, this tour presents an opportunity for those on the fringes to impress the coaching team.
'Jack Crowley he's coming for you' jokes Peter O'Mahony's wife Jess as son practices his rugby skills
'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.
'I would like to congratulate Craig on his selection as captain. He is a real leader with a strong personality and it is a huge personal honour for him and an opportunity that I know he will relish over the coming weeks.'
Ireland play in the Mikheil Meskhi Stadium in Tbilisi on July 5 with a 6pm Irish time start and it's a 7pm kick-off a week later when they take on Portugal in Lisbon's Estádio Nacional do Jamor.
Ireland squad:
Forwards (18): Ahern (Munster)*, Baird (Leinster), Bealham (Connacht), Boyle (Leinster), Clarkson (Leinster), Coombes (Munster), Deegan (Leinster), Izuchukwu (Ulster), Kendellen (Munster), G McCarthy (Leinster), P McCarthy (Leinster)*, Milne (Munster)*, Murray (Connacht)*, O'Toole (Ulster), C Prendergast (Connacht), Smyth (Leinster)*, Stewart (Ulster), Timoney (Ulster).
Backs: Bolton (Connacht)*, Casey (Munster)(captain), Crowley (Munster), Doak (Ulster)*, Frawley (Leinster), Gavin (Connacht)*,McCloskey (Ulster), Murphy (Connacht)*, Nash (Munster), J O'Brien (Leinster), T O'Brien (Leinster)*, Osborne (Leinster), S Prendergast (Leinster), Stockdale (Ulster).
Training Panellists: McNabney (Ulster)*, Postlethwaite (Ulster)*, Ward (Ulster)*
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Independent
19 minutes ago
- Irish Independent
Ireland v Senegal: Debut boy Kasey McAteer puts Boys In Green ahead
Live | Ireland take on the might of Senegal in a friendly at the Aviva Stadium this evening (kick-off 7.45pm). Heimir Hallgrimsson's side face an African nation unbeaten in their last 20 games – a tough challenge in preparation for the big World Cup qualifications to come later this year. Catch all the action as it happens here. Kasey McAteer 22' 25' Another corner for Ireland! It's a superb bit of link up play between Brady and Manning as the latter overlaps and looks to cut it back only for Abdou Diallo to cut it out. 22' Goal Ireland Scorer Kasey McAteer Assist Nathan Collins GOAL! It wasn't the prettiest in the end but that doesn't matter a jot! A corner to the back post is flicked out by Collins to Ryan Manning who clips it back into Collins who raced into a central position. The Brentford man's flick is driven goalward by McAteer who is spectacularly denied by Diouf. Senegal's keeper is oh so unlucky as the ball comes off the crossbar and back to the Leicester City man for a tap-in. 20' Scoring Chance Ireland Player Will Smallbone Best chance of the game so far! Dara O'Shea instigates the move with a neat switch to the lively McAteer who skips past two Senegalese men. The ball falls kindly for Smallbone who laces it, but it's a good handful of yards wide. Nonetheless, promising from Hallgrimsson's side! 16' The ball breaks outside the box for Ilay Camara who decides to have a go - a couple of ironic jeers and whistles meet it from the Irish fans as his effort sails into Row Z. Clear scoring chances few and far between up to this juncture! 14' Ireland get their first corner of the game as Will Smallbone's cross is blocked by Abdoulaye Seck. A minute earlier McAteer and Taylor almost combined but the Ipswich midfielder just couldn't climb high enough to direct a header on goal. The resulting corner ultimately leads to nothing as Yehvann Diouf gathers with ease. 9' Kasey McAteer tries to thread a difficult pass out to Robbie Brady which is cut out by Abdullah Sima. His pass is a bit loose and the ball creeps out for an Irish throw-in as Antoine Mendy fails to control it in time. 5' First foray into the Irish half for Senegal which yields a corner as Abdullah Sima's cross is blocked by Robbie Brady. That could have been ugly! Krepin Diatta's corner caught Dara O'Shea unawares and the ball crept past Caoimhin Kelleher's post who probably had it covered. 4' Decent early pressure from Ireland which stemmed from a long throw into the box. Jack Taylor recycled to Kasey McAteer who skipped through two tackles. The clipped cross lacked purchase however, allowing Yehann Diouf to collect with ease. 1. Half The first-half begins between Ireland and Senegal! We are underway in this first-half at Lansdowne Road! It's turned into a pretty nice evening for football with temperatures lingering around 11 degrees and little to no wind. After the formalities and national anthems, Senegal get the ball rolling through Lazio striker Boulaye Dia. 34 minutes ago SENEGAL'S TEAM TONIGHT: Legendary head coach Aliou Cisse named his Senegal team starting with a lot of the big names left on the bench including Kalidou Koulibaly, Idrissa Gueye, Nicolas Jackson, and Ismaila Sarr: 1. Yehvann Diouf; 14. Ismail Jakobs, 22. Abdou Diallo, 4. Abdoulaye Seck, 6. Antoine Mendy; 15. Krepin Diatta, 2. Ilay Camara, 6. Habib Diarra; 13. Iliman Ndiaye, 9. Boulaye Dia, 21. Abdullah Sima 38 minutes ago IRELAND LINE-UP: Head coach Heimir Hallgrimsson sets his team up as follows with Kasey McAteer and Jack Taylor in for their first Irish starts this evening. Caoimhin Kelleher gets the nod in goals behind a back four of Matt Doherty, Nathan Collins, Dara O'Shea and Robbie Brady. Jason Knight and Ryan Manning join the aforementioned Taylor and McAteer in midfield behind a front two of Will Smallbone and Adam Idah: 47 minutes ago With qualification games for the 2026 World Cup looming, Ireland head coach Heimir Hallgrimsson believes Senegal will act as the perfect litmus test for his players: Heimir Hallgrimsson believes Senegal's 'massive physicality' ideal for big Ireland tests to come Ireland manager Heimir Hallgrimsson believes that Friday's international friendly at home to Senegal is the ideal chance to prepare for the daunting tests to come. 52 minutes ago WATCH: Ireland head coach Heimir Hallgrimsson speaking to RTE's Tony O'Donoghue before the game 58 minutes ago Ahead of Ireland's meeting with Senegal, Sean O'Connor cast the magnifying glass over the Boys in Green's opponents and they array of talents they possess: From 2002 World Cup to 2021 AFCON champions – meet Ireland's opponents Senegal, a country we have never faced before Senegal, the Lions of Teranga, are the penultimate step before Ireland's World Cup qualifying campaign begins and perhaps fitting before they enter the lion's den. Today 02:04 PM After a video emerged on social media showing Adam Idah embroiled in an argument, the Cork native said he has already moved on and won't let the controversial clip affect him: 'I am human and I'm going to carry on with my life' – Adam Idah shrugs off leaked video row to focus on Ireland's World Cup dream It didn't take long for Adam Idah to learn that playing for a particular club in the south-east of England would not be the same as making the grade in his new place of employment in Scotland. Today 01:55 PM The Indo Sport Podcast is worth the listen this week – ex-Ireland international Meabh De Burca and Dan McDonnell delve into both Ireland's men's and women's national teams, Stephen Bradley's comments and reaction to Caoimhin Kelleher's transfer: Indo Sport podcast: The Football Show | Heimir's last test drive until World Cup run | Ireland are stagnant - can Carla Ward adapt? Former Ireland international Meabh De Burca joins Joe to react to an international window where Carla Ward stuck to her guns and style of play - but how much is it working so far? Today 01:51 PM Robbie Brady sat down with RTE this week for an insightful interview into the Dubliner's life in green: Today 01:45 PM Good evening and welcome to another live blog as Ireland take on Senegal in the first of two summer international friendlies. My name is Ultán Corcoran and I will be keeping you updated as the action unfolds on the pitch. The Aviva Stadium is the venue for this evening's game with a strong home crowd expected to cheer on Heimir Hallgrimsson's Boys in Green. The game is being televised over on RTE 2 and the RTE Player online with coverage starting from 7pm. Kick-off is a fraction later at 7.45pm. Today 01:40 PM Kasey McAteer and Jack Taylor will make their first Irish starts in tonight's friendly against Senegal, while Adam Idah will lead the line with Troy Parrott and Evan Ferguson benched. Leicester winger McAteer and Ipswich engine room operator Taylor get a chance to impress in the midfield department - an area where Heimir Hallgrimsson is missing several established Championship squad members. Will Smallbone also comes into the side, with Hallgrimsson suggesting yesterday that he saw the Southampton player as an attacking midfielder and not a defensive one. That suggests he could slot into the position vacated by the absent Finn Azaz. Celtic striker Idah gets the nod up top with Parrott - who has been struggling with sickness - dropping to the bench. There is also no start for Evan Ferguson, who arrived into camp short of gametime after a very disappointing loan at West Ham. As expected, Hallgrimsson has gone with a back four of Matt Doherty, Nathan Collins, Dara O'Shea and Robbie Brady
The Journal
an hour ago
- The Journal
Court escorts for prisoners at risk due to overcrowding, Irish prisons boss warns
THERE IS A real risk that the Irish Prison Service will not be able to transport all prisoners for court hearings, as overcrowding is putting pressure on staff to meet their escort abilities. Director General of the Irish Prison Service Caron McCaffrey warned the Department of Justice in a letter last year that the system is at 'tipping point' in respect of its ability to carry out escorts to court and maintain safe staffing standards inside its facilities. Her letter told the Department: 'Current levels of overcrowding are exacerbated by resource constraints due to ever-increasing demands for escorts.' The Journal has previously reported that record-high levels of overcrowding inside Ireland's prisons are increasing the risk of violence , seeing incarcerated people sleeping on the floor and creating a difficult working environment for staff . Speaking to journalists last month, McCaffrey said she hopes that new ankle monitoring technology will assist the service in reducing the number of people in prison who are on remand, awaiting trial, which amounts to roughly 20% of the population. The short-term remedy is also being met with additional funding to increase the number of beds that can be made available in the existing system , the department of justice has previously said. In her letter, the head of the prison system said she had 'grave concerns' around the safety of staff and prisoners, because of dire overcrowding in jails. Concerns around the length of time court escorts take, and frequency of them, were highlighted by staff at a recent Prison Officer Association conference in Galway last month. Recruitment for the Prison Service Escort Corp, which transports officers and prisoners to court and other prisons, has been a particular issue in recent years as resources become stretched. Advertisement There were 4,960 prisoners in custody at the time of McCaffery's letter, in May 2024, in which she said the Irish prison system was 'not in a position to absorb the inevitable increase in committals safely'. Since then, the number of people in custody has risen to as high as 5,400. McCaffery said the appointment of additional judges has contributed to the increases in prisoner population and court escorts. 'Undoubtedly, a large element of the current overcrowding crisis is directly related to the appointment of additional judges,' the letter said. '[This led to] the scheduling of over 600 extra court sittings this year, decisions taken when our prisons were already overcapacity and not in a position to absorb the inevitable increase in committals safely.' McCaffrey's letter was addressed to one of the most senior officials in the Department of Justice, but has only now been released following an appeal to the Information Commissioner under Freedom of Information laws. Months before the letter was sent, The Journal reported how the Irish Prison Service was using temporary release measures, when people in custody are let out periodically under strict conditions, to alleviate the system from increased levels of overcrowding . The use of the temporary release scheme is approved on a case-by-case basis. It is understood that every suitable candidate for the measure in the system has already been approved. McCaffery told the department in May 2024 that she wanted an urgent decision on new rules around who could and could not be given temporary release. She wrote: 'In the absence of an urgent decision [on temporary release measures], I need to advise you that I now have grave concerns in relation to the ability of this service to ensure the safety of both those who work and live in our prisons.' She said there had been a sharp increase in temporary release to relieve pressure, but that all the main prisons were well above operational capacity. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
RTÉ News
an hour ago
- RTÉ News
Provincial hurling finals - All You Need to Know
SATURDAY Munster SHC final Limerick v Cork, TUS Gaelic Grounds, 6pm SUNDAY Joe McDonagh Cup final Kildare v Laois, Croke Park, 1.45pm Leinster SHC final Kilkenny v Galway, Croke Park, 4pm ONLINE Live blog on and the RTÉ News app. TV Live coverage of the Munster hurling final on Saturday on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player from 5.15pm. Live coverage of the Joe McDonagh final and the Leinster hurling final on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player on Sunday, starting at 1.30pm. Highlights on The Saturday Game (9.40pm) and The Sunday Game (9.30pm) on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player. RADIO Live commentaries and updates on Saturday Sport and Sunday Sport on RTÉ Radio 1 and Spórt an tSathairn and Spórt an Lae, RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta. WEATHER Saturday: In Munster, the showers earlier in the day will largely die out later in the afternoon to leave a fine evening. Highest temperatures of 12 to 15 degrees, with moderate northwesterly winds. Sunday: Sunday will bring a mix of sunshine and showers. Highest temperatures of 13 to 17 degrees in moderate westerly winds. Overview - an era of domination Limerick have already broken new ground in the Munster hurling championship with the first-ever six-in-a-row last year. Now, it's just a question of what record they're going to set for future dynasties. It's a particularly stunning feat given that Limerick, traditionally, are outside the 'big two' in Munster. Or, at best, they were the half in the 'big two-and-a-half', akin to Roscommon in the Connacht football championship. Who knows, the long-term legacy of the Kiely-Kinnerk era may be that future generations will refer to a 'big four' rather than a 'big three'? They've beaten every other Munster county in a provincial final in the current run, aside from Cork. They're coming off three successive Munster final wins over Clare, the last of which was the most clear-cut. Tipperary were dispatched in 2019 and 2021, the latter after that remarkable second half turnaround. In 2020, they saw off Waterford before beating them again in the All-Ireland final. Cork are both the last Munster team to win the province before the Limerick supremacy arrived - and they're also the last side to beat Limerick in a Munster final, winning the last championship game played at the old Páirc Uí Chaoimh back in 2014 during Jimmy Barry Murphy's second stint in charge. Kilkenny's present domination of the Leinster hurling championship has attracted far less notice. Indeed, their achievement of the provincial five-in-a-row last year crept up on people. Partly, this is because Kilkenny dominance of Leinster has typically been the historical norm and partly because the province is much less glamorous. Even more so, it's down to their failure to back it up with a Liam MacCarthy, which, as Richie Hogan noted this week, is the only currency worth considering in Kilkenny. The run started in 2020, when they ended a four-year stretch without a Leinster title in an empty Croke Park, after pick-pocketing a generally superior Galway side down the home straight. The westerners looked comfortably the better team for an hour, maintaining a four-to-five point lead for most of the second half. Then Hogan, introduced as a late substitute, rustled up a truly ingenious goal, with Reid whipping in a second within a matter of seconds to turn the game on its head. They've beaten Galway in two more Leinster finals since then. Cody's last provincial victory in 2022 came after an unimaginably dull, free-ridden game. 2023 was another dramatic smash-and-grab. Henry Shefflin's Galway side appeared to have done enough with a stirring final quarter to lead by two in injury-time - until Padraic Mannion's panicked clearance with his boot found Cillian Buckley's paw and we know the rest. Even by the poor standards of your average Kilkenny-Dublin Leinster final, last year's provincial decider was a non-event. Cork aim to recover from "set-up" The blithe and gleeful confidence that settled over Cork in the wake of the league final is a distant memory. The 16-point mauling in the Gaelic Grounds was a shock to the system and a sobering reminder that the great Limerick side of the 2020s aren't close to being done. The Rebels were even threatened with elimination on the final day and produced a somewhat jittery performance at home to Waterford, in which their far greater attacking quality would eventually tell in the end. The Cork management have been angrily rounding on the hype-mongers since the loss in Limerick. Pat Ryan accused those who were writing off Limerick of being "off their game" and "setting us up for a fall." Selector Wayne Sherlock branded the media hype as "cringey outside noise" and had a pop at the Paddy Power stunt of paying out on Cork winning the All-Ireland after the league final. "I think we were being set-up, to be honest," Sherlock told reporters this week. "It's kind of insulting. I think people want us to fail." Ryan even took aim at the concept of 'Corkness', branding it "the most stupid word I ever heard." We can fairly take it that they've concluded the pre-championship hype was not helpful and that a more workmanlike Cork team - and a more humble Cork crowd - will arrive in Shannonside this Saturday. Galway old stagers still plugging away Of Galway's 11 competitive matches in 2025, they've won seven and lost the other four by 12 points. It was assumed this was a transitional period. The returning All-Ireland winning manager Micheál Donoghue was given a four-year term, which was taken to imply this was partly a re-build job. The manager acknowledged they were "looking to the future" after 2017 veterans Joseph Cooney, Gearóid McInerney and Adrian Touhy departed before the season began. But there's a surprising degree of continuity around Galway, all the same. David Burke is still relied upon to bring a stability and game-management expertise to midfield. The Mannions remain prominent at both ends of the field. Daithí Burke and Fintan Burke form the bedrock of the defence. Conor Whelan, notwithstanding his patchy form early in the season, provides much of the gold-dust in attack. In some respects, the 'transition' hasn't even started yet. There has been some change. John Fleming has been a workhorse at wing-forward, while Gavin Lee has nailed down the problematic position of centre-back - though doubts about his defensive suitability were raised after the second half against Wexford. Loughrea's Anthony Burns has shown impressive flashes in the inside forward line, though Kevin Cooney is preferred to start this weekend. Team News There is still some uncertainty about who will be manning the goal for Galway. Their official submitted team is at odds with their 'X' account, with the supposedly suspended Darach Fahy named on the former, while Eanna Murphy is down to start on the latter. Fahy was suspended by the CHC for slapping out at AJ Murphy, though the Tribesmen are still intent on appealing. Otherwise, as noted above, Kevin Cooney - so impressive in the last Leinster decider against Kilkenny in 2023 - replaces Anthony Burns. Derek Lyng is still without the injured Eoin Cody, though Adrian Mullen returns to his centre-forward berth after his runout at centre-back for the Wexford dead rubber. Cork, meanwhile, have handed Diarmuid Healy his first start in place of Brian Roche, while Shane Barrett captains the team in the absence of the injured Rob Downey. For Limerick, Aidan O'Connor makes a first championship start, replacing Shane O'Brien at full-forward. Kildare seek to break new ground in Joe Mc The Kildare hurlers go in search of a landmark victory this weekend, which would take them into the Leinster SHC for the first time since 2004. They've flirted with the big-time in decades past. In 1976, Kildare beat Dublin and took the eventual champions Wexford to the brink in the semi-final. They won the old All-Ireland 'B' championship on four occasions, including in 1989 and 2004. Their rise in modern times has been charted here, with the strength of Naas being a core reason. A Croke Park appearance looked unlikely after an opening day loss to Kerry - who were subsequently relegated - but they've won four from four since, including a shock 11-point win over Laois in the penultimate round. The north of the county is now the hurling stronghold - a turnaround from previous eras - with Maynooth's David Qualter and Naas' Jack Sheridan to the fore on the scoring front. Last year's losing finalists Laois enter as slight favourites despite the loss in Portlaoise. They squeezed into the final after James Duggan's last-gasp goal snatched a draw in Carlow. Tommy Fitzgerald's side is without Cha Dwyer, who took umbrage at being substituted against Carlow, while goalkeeper Enda Rowland has opted out. Mossie Keyes, who hit 0-14 in Netwatch Cullen Park, has been to the fore in attack in this campaign.
