An exciting summer ahead.
Ireland take on Georgia on July 5, and Portugal a week later.
It will be a depleted squad in terms of both players and coaches, with many off in Australia with the Lions.
As such, it provides the best opportunity to blood the next generation since Andy Farrell became head coach.
‘Faz’, of course, will be off with the Lions, with Paul O’Connell stepping up in his absence.
We’ve gone for a squad that is the right mix of ‘O’Connell’s kids’ and a smattering of experienced heads.
Props
With Cian Healy calling it a day and Andrew Porter off with the Lions, Jack Boyle will find himself as one of the more experienced front rowers and with a level of responsibility that defies his 23 years.
Michael Milne’s move to Munster has exceeded expectations and he looks to have shored up his scrummaging achilles heel.
There’s an argument to bring a young bolter such as Paddy McCarthy or Alex Usanov, but Josh Wycherley’s performances against top opposition in Europe are hard to overlook.
The Tom O’Toole to loosehead experiment is less pertinent with the emergence of new options and Ulster’s signing of Angus Bell.
Finlay Bealham was close to being a Lion, and may still be called up, while Tom O’Toole will likely travel.
Oli Jager hasn’t really been backed by the management since making his debut in last year’s Six Nations, while Tom Clarkson has not shown the capacity to overtake O’Toole or Bealham.
It’s time now to bring Scott Wilson into the fold.
Hooker
Rob Herring will be a contender for captaincy, and his prodégé, Tom Stewart, will look to get himself back in the good books after losing ground over the last year.
Gus McCarthy will also travel.
Lock
Iain Henderson’s form has been sadly waining, but his experience and leadership will be vital in a squad lacking its frontline players and coaches.
Cormac Izuchukwu has been one of the few bright sparks for Ulster this season, and Tom Ahern should finally earn his long-overdue first cap.
Despite not playing a first-team game since 2023, Edwin Edogbo remains the most talented uncapped player in the country, and it could be argued that his return for Munster ‘A’ last weekend was one of the top-five Irish rugby moments this season.
Darragh Murray will be there or there abouts but may miss out.
Back row
There’s an excessive amount of options to choose from, and we’re going mainly for youth over experience here, with it being vital that Ireland develop the best carriers and athletes we have at our disposal.
Ireland’s pack looked sluggish this year, and other than Caelan Doris and Dan Sheehan, lacked size and dynamism.
The Munster cohort of Gavin Coombes, John Hodnett, Ruadhán Quinn, and Brian Gleeson will add this in spades.
A poor showing against Munster aside, James McNabney has been a revelation this year and needs to go as well.
Ryan Baird has looked good for Ireland but at the same time has failed to take his game to the level his talents seemed to have promised. Hopefully he can use this tour as a springboard to reach that higher plane.
Scrum-half
Craig Casey was unlucky to miss out on the Lions squad, and could be in contention to captain Ireland for one of their games.
Ben Murphy has been Connacht’s best player this season and should be one of the first names on the sheet.
His teammate, Matthew Devine, should also travel but might miss out to Nathan Doak.
Out-half
Sam Prendergast and Jack Crowley are easy picks here, but there are a number of contenders for the third slot.
At 20 years old, Jack Murphy has bravely led the Ulster team at No 10 and completely defied expectations.
Harry Byrne’s move to Bristol was a resounding success and has got him back into the Ireland fold, although his return to Leinster instead of a move to lead either Connacht or Ulster may be misjudged.
Ciarán Frawley has been the solidified third-choice for a while but his meaningful game time at out-half has been lacking.
Centre
Along with back row, centre is Ireland’s most stacked area and O’Connell will be forced to leave behind a number of deserving and talented options.
The first question that needs to be asked is whether Tom Farrell should travel?
He will be 32 later this year and most likely will not be an option for the 2027 World Cup, but he has been the standout Irish player this season.
If Ireland see him as someone who could be picked for the Autumn Nations Series and the upcoming Six Nations, then he should travel.
On their day, both Stuart McCloskey and Robbie Henshaw are world class but if Ireland are to get the most use out of the tour, only one of these vastly-experienced men should go.
Like Edogob, Hugh Gavin simply cannot be left out, leaving a space for one more midfielder.
Jamie Osborne can travel as a fullback, making it a toss up Jude Postlethwaite and Cathal Forde.
It’s tough but the consistently-excellent Connacht man just misses out.
Back three
One of the aspects of this tour to most look forward to is the presence of Jacob Stockdale, who has been back to near his best in recent months and won’t be far off a Lions call up if there’s an injury or two.
Tommy O’Brien has finally put his injury issues behind him and has cemented a place in Leinster’s first-choice XV.
Shayne Bolton is, deservedly, a popular man among the Irish coaches, and adds pace and ballast out wide.
Zac Ward’s stunning performance against Bordeaux in the Champions Cup puts him ahead of the rest of the competition, with Calvin Nash, Finn Treacy, and Rob Baloucoune unlucky to miss out.
We’re backing Jamie Osborne to travel as a fullback, with Ben O’Connor as his understudy.
Ireland’s 35-man summer squad:
Props: Jack Boyle, Michael Milne, Josh Wycherley, Finlay Bealham, Tom O’Toole, Scott Wilson
Hooker: Gus McCarthy, Rob Herring, Tom Stewart
Lock: Iain Henderson, Cormac Izuchuckwu, Tom Ahern, Edwin Edogbo
Back row: Ryan Baird, James McNabney, John Hodnett, Ruadhán Quinn, Gavin Coombes, Brian Gleeson
Scrum-half: Craig Casey, Ben Murphy, Matthew Devine
Out-half: Sam Prendergast, Jack Crowley, Harry Byrne
Centre: Stuart McCloskey, Hugh Gavin, Tom Farrell, Jude Postlethwaite
Back three: Jacob Stockdale, Shayen Bolton, Tommy O’Brien, Zac Ward, Jamie Osborne, Ben O’Connor
