Sam Prendergast has been named in the Ireland team to face England in the 2025 Guinness Six Nations on Saturday in Dublin.
The Leinster fly-half will make his tournament debut, getting the nod ahead of fellow rising star Dan Crowley for the clash at the Aviva Stadium.
Caelan Doris, starting at number eight, captains the home side. Hugo Keenan, Mack Hansen and James Lowe will start in the back three. Bundee Aki will partner Garry Ringrose in midfield. 21-year-old Prendergast is named at out-half, with Jamison Gibson-Park earning a start at scrum-half.
Andrew Porter, Rónan Kelleher and Finlay Bealham will start in the front row. James Ryan and Tadhg Beirne line up in the second row. Josh van der Flier starts at openside, while Ryan Baird has been named at blindside flanker.
Ireland will be managed by interim head coach Simon Easterby for the tournament, with Andy Farrell busy preparing for the British and Irish Lions' tour in Australia this summer.
Joe McCarthy and Tadhg Furlong miss out through injury, but Easterby will have Dan Sheehan, Cian Healy, Thomas Clarkson, Iain Henderson, Jack Conan, Conor Murray, Jack Crowley, Robbie Henshaw to call upon from the bench.
“We’ve come off the back of a good week’s training in Quinta do Lago and I have been hugely impressed by the effort of the squad," Easterby told the official Irish rugby website.
"We’ve enjoyed some competitive sessions and it wasn’t easy selecting a squad for this week’s game given the quality of those who haven’t made the final 23. Credit to those who missed out on selection for this game, there was obvious disappointment but they all stepped up brilliantly to help prepare the team this week.
“England are a talented squad with quality across their panel and we know that we will need to hit the ground running to deliver a winning performance."
Ireland: Hugo Keenan; Mack Hansen, Garry Ringrose, Bundee Aki, James Lowe; Sam Prendergast, Jamison Gibson-Park; Andrew Porter, Rónan Kelleher, Finlay Bealham; James Ryan, Tadhg Beirne; Ryan Baird, Josh van der Flier, Caelan Doris (C).
Replacements: Dan Sheehan, Cian Healy, Thomas Clarkson, Iain Henderson, Jack Conan, Conor Murray, Jack Crowley, Robbie Henshaw.
England: Freddie Steward; Tommy Freeman, Henry Slade, Ollie Lawrence, Cadan Murley; Marcus Smith, Alex Mitchell; Ellis Genge, Luke Cowan-Dickie, Will Stuart; Maro Itoje (C), George Martin; Tom Curry, Ben Curry, Ben Earl.
Replacements: Theo Dan, Fin Baxter, Joe Heyes, Ollie Chessum, Chandler Cunningham-South, Tom Willis, Harry Randall, Fin Smith.
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