Bolton and Kendellen to debut against Portugal as Crowley starts at 10
Connacht's Hugh Gavin is the third uncapped player in the matchday 23, with the Connacht centre in line to debut off the bench.
Bolton starts on the left wing with Tommy O'Brien continuing on the right wing and Jimmy O'Brien retained at fullback.
Jamie Osborne and Stuart McCloskey continue their centre partnership from last weekend's win in Georgia.
Craig Casey also gets the nod again, captaining the side at scrum-half, but Jack Crowley comes in at out-half as Sam Prendergast is left out of the 23.
Advertisement
The all-Leinster front row of Jack Boyle, Gus McCarthy and Thomas Clarkson is unchanged, and in the second row, Munster's Tom Ahern makes his first start having debuted as a replacement in Tbilisi. Ahern is joined by Connacht's Darragh Murray, who starts for the second week running.
Kendellen comes into the back row alongside Ryan Baird and Cian Prendergast, who had been due to feature against Georgia only to drop out through illness.
On the Ireland bench, Tom O'Toole, Tom Stewart and Michael Milne cover the front row, with Cormac Izuchukwu and Max Deegan the other replacement forwards.
Connacht's Ben Murphy and Leinster's Ciarán Frawley join Gavin as the three backline replacements.
'I have been really pleased with the attitude of the players over the last number of weeks,' O'Connell said.
'The dedication and diligence of the squad in testing conditions over in Tbilisi demonstrated the players' willingness to embrace challenges and hopefully that bodes well again this weekend.
'This Saturday presents another opportunity to go out and try to play our game. Portugal are another impressive emerging side who look to play an exciting brand of rugby and we know that we're in for another battle hopefully in front of another big crowd of travelling supporters.
'To our three new debutants – Shayne, Alex and Hugh – congratulations on their selection. The team will try to deliver a positive performance for them and their families.'
IRELAND:
15: Jimmy O'Brien (9 caps)
14: Tommy O'Brien (1)
13: Jamie Osborne (8)
12: Stuart McCloskey (20)
11: Shayne Bolton*
10: Jack Crowley (25)
9: Craig Casey (19) – capt
1: Jack Boyle (3)
2: Gus McCarthy (5)
3: Thomas Clarkson (7)
4: Tom Ahern (1)
5: Darragh Murray (1)
6: Ryan Baird (28)
7: Alex Kendellen*
8: Cian Prendergast (4)
Replacements:
16: Tom Stewart (3)
17: Michael Milne (1)
18: Tom O'Toole (16)
19: Cormac Izuchukwu (2)
20: Max Deegan (3)
21: Ben Murphy (1)
22: Ciaran Frawley (8)
23: Hugh Gavin*
*denotes uncapped
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
RTÉ News
24 minutes ago
- RTÉ News
Pauline Ferrand-Prevot prevails to win Tour de France Femmes
Olympic champion Pauline Ferrand-Prevot became the first Frenchwoman to win the Tour de France Femmes on Sunday, pushing through three punishing climbs to clinch the final stage ahead of 2023 champion Demi Vollering, who finished second overall. The 33-year-old of team Visma–Lease a Bike held steady through the 124.1km ride from Praz-sur-Arly to Chatel, before launching a decisive attack in the last seven kilometres, and fell to the ground in tears after crossing the finish line. "I'm so, so happy," Ferrand-Prevot told reporters. "I was a bit scared with the pressure of this jersey... I had to stick to the front and just stay there." Vollering (FDJ–Suez) stayed in a group with Ferrand-Prevot for the majority of the ninth stage, but could not break away to make up her deficit of more than three minutes coming into the last day. The Dutch rider finished second in the race for the second year in a row, losing out on the yellow jersey by three minutes and 42 seconds. Defending champion Katarzyna Niewiadoma-Phinney (Canyon–SRAM) finished third overall. Ferrand-Prevot, who won gold in women's cross-country mountain biking at last year's Paris Games, had taken the yellow jersey from Kimberley Le Court on Saturday. Australia's Sophia Gigante, who was second overall coming into the final stage, tried to get ahead of Ferrand-Prevot during the climb to Col de Joux Plane, known as one of cycling's toughest summits in the Alps, but the Frenchwoman stayed on her wheels. Gigante fell behind as Ferrand-Prevot caught up with Anna van der Breggen (SD Worx-Protime), who had taken an early lead, on the way to Col du Corbier, the final major climb of the 1,168.6km race. The exhausted leading group was unable to keep up when Ferrand-Prevot launched her final attack and crossed the finish line 20 seconds before Vollering to huge applause from the crowd in Chatel. Lorena Wiebes (Team SD Worx–Protime), who has led the points classification since stage three, cemented her position to deny Dutch compatriot Marianne Vos (Visma-Lease a Bike) a third green jersey. It was a historic Tour from an Irish perspective. Fiona Mangan (Winspace Orange Seal) became the first Irish rider to win an intermediate sprint at the event on Friday. She finished 118th in the general classification. Last Tuesday Lara Gillespie (UAE Team ADQ) produced a superb ride to finish third on stage four. Gillespie was 82nd overall. Mia Griffin was 97th in the GC for Roland Le Dévoluy. All three Irish riders were makign their first appearances on the Tour.
Irish Examiner
an hour ago
- Irish Examiner
Road bowling: Gene McVeigh makes history with win over Stokes
Gene McVeigh created road bowling history at Keady Tassagh on Sunday by becoming the first Tyrone player to win the All-Ireland men's intermediate final. He beat Munster champion, Páidín Stokes, by a bowl, having led all the way. But this was definitely a score of two halves. The Tyrone man looked invincible for the first half. Stokes' persistence finally reaped dividends from the top of the carnival straight. McVeigh's unassailable lead began to look more vulnerable under Stokes' sustained attack. Stokes raised the ante with a smashing bowl that cannoned perfectly off the kerb at the bridge. McVeigh was now only throwing odds over 47m and the line looked very distant up the hill. He delivered his bowl impossibly close to the left. It looked doomed. Somehow it got a brush and went well up the hill towards the line. Stokes would now need something out of the ordinary. That never materialised as he too was too tight left and his bowl failed to get back on track. After a tense closing, McVeigh had survived. The intermediate All-Ireland title would be heading west of the Blackwater river into the Red Hand county for the first time. In 2026 Tyrone will have a man challenging for the Ulster senior title, and bizarrely he has adopted not the traditional Ulster style, but the Munster technique. In the early exchanges McVeigh looked set to steamroll Stokes. He got the longest first shot on the road in recent history. For context, this is the road that hosts Ból-Fada, so every top senior bowler in Ireland has broken-off that start line. That gave him a lead he never relinquished. He stormed out Twynam's corner in four, but Stokes was there in five, keeping the lead under a bowl. He went up Gillogly's height with a sensational fifth and Stokes just missed that to concede the bowl of odds. Stokes then played two huge bowls to the creamery lane to bring the lead just under a bowl. Stokes was left with his next one and was now fending off a second bowl of odds. After ten and 12 to the top of the carnival straight, the lead was still almost two and Stokes' challenge looked lost. McVeigh only reached the carnival gates next. Stokes replied with a searing bowl tight left, but it got a touch off a metal cover, which deflected it left and it only beat McVeigh tip. McVeigh then missed the creamery stand. Stokes was a fraction too tight left. His bowl came off the edge, but it didn't have the speed to make McKee's wall. After the shots past McKee's the bowl was knocked and the score was back in play. McVeigh then went over the bridge, but his bowl didn't have the venom of his earlier ones. Stokes sent a rocket into the bridge and it came off the kerb. It ran well up the rise and the finish line looked beatable. He was now in a serious position. But McVeigh had the bit of luck with his bowl and Stokes was too tight with his reply.
Irish Examiner
an hour ago
- Irish Examiner
Kiladangan claim North Tipperary title with win over Borris-Ileigh
Kiladangan are North Tipperary SHC champions for a 10th time after fending off a late Borris-Ileigh fightback at MacDonagh Park, Nenagh. The Puckaun-based club completed a hectic schedule of three games in eight days with a tense 0-20 to 0-19 victory over the County League winners. They showed signs of fatigue for a finish against a fresher Borris side, who scored five of the last seven points and threatened a late leveller. Eddie Ryan had slotted three second-half frees from his own 45, but his final effort dropped short as Kiladangan held on. Remarkably, they have appeared in seven consecutive North finals, collecting the Frank McGrath Cup four times in that streak. They were far sprightlier when reeling off four unanswered points from the throw-in. Paul Flynn, Billy Seymour, Dan O'Meara, and Willie Connors (two frees) struck early braces. Patrick Ryan's frees and two points from the lively James Devaney got Borris back in touch by the break; 0-11 to 0-9 in arrears. Dara O'Dwyer, Seymour, and Conor Byrne soon extended Kiladangan's lead to five, but Borris weren't letting go. A super Devaney score followed by Paddy McCormack and Tommy Ryan points got them back within two. Seán Hayes and Byrne landed insurance scores, although stoppage-time points from Jerry Kelly and Eddie Ryan had it back to the minimum for a finish. Meanwhile, former Cobh Ramblers manager Shane Keegan led JK Brackens to their second Mid Tipp title with a 1-22 to 2-18 triumph over Moycarkey-Borris at Boherlahan. Eddie Brennan's Moycarkey were chasing a first success since 1982, and they vaulted into an early lead through goal-poacher Jack Hayes. They arrived battle-hardened by victories over Loughmore-Castleiney and Thurles Sarsfields, but Brackens didn't fade away. In a mirror image of Tipp's opening goal in the All-Ireland final, Rhys Shelly was caught batting the sliotar down from above the crossbar, and Andrew Ormond nipped in to finish his third goal in five days. The sides were deadlocked, 1-9 apiece, at the change of ends. Within two minutes of the resumption, U20 All-Ireland winner David Costigan rifled to the net for Moycarkey. The accuracy of Kieran Morris opened up a three-point lead, but Brackens were never distanced beyond that mark. They moved ahead with four points in a row from Shane Doyle (who finished with 0-11), Ormond (1-3), and Éanna McBride. A goal-saving Seán Hayes block denied Ciarán O'Shea the clinching score before Morris's 10th free equalised. When Lyndon Fairbrother's white flag was cancelled out by Killian Cantwell, the sides were level for a ninth time. But Ned Delaney, who was a waterboy when Brackens made their breakthrough in 2022, came forward from wing-back for his fourth point of the day to deliver the Johnny Leahy Cup to Templemore. For Kiladangan and Brackens, victory guarantees them a preliminary quarter-final berth, should they fail to progress through the county championship group stage, which begins next weekend. In Saturday's South Tipp SHC final, Carrick Swan defended their title for the first time since 1986 with a 1-17 to 0-15 victory over Killenaule at Clonmel Sportsfield. The reigning champions had to do it with 14 men for the duration after Tipp U20 Stefan Tobin was red-carded for an off-the-ball incident in the opening play. Despite their numerical disadvantage, Swans were never headed. They responded with a steady flow of points before captain Eric O'Halloran fed Aaron Dunne to beat John 'Bubbles' O'Dwyer in the Robins' goal. They led 1-8 to 0-7 at midway, and playing numbers were equalised when Eoin O'Connell received a straight red card within five minutes of the restart. Swans held their lead from there to collect the club's 26th title. Free-taker Callum Lanigan finished with 0-9 and captain O'Halloran tagged on 0-3. Tipp senior panellist Gavin O'Halloran contributed a pair in a man-of-the-match display from centre-back.
