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Ireland name 2 uncapped players and recall Zebo after 4 years out

(Photo By Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile via Getty Images)

Andy Farrell has named a 38-strong Ireland squad for next month’s international series, keeping veteran Johnny Sexton on as captain, recalling Simon Zebo from the international wilderness and including two uncapped players from Leinster in the guise of Ciaran Frawley and Dan Sheehan. Ireland begin their schedule versus Japan on November 6 and follow it with matches versus New Zealand and Argentina.

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Aside from bringing in two untried players, Farrell has given a vote of confidence to what was seen during the July summer series as Robert Baloucoune, Harry Byrne, Gavin Coombes, James Hume, Tom O’Toole and Nick Timoney – who all won their debut caps – have been retained.

Six of the Ireland players who toured Lions during the summer – Bundee Aki, Tadhg Beirne, Jack Conan, Tadgh Furlong, Iain Henderson and Conor Murray – are also included as is Ronan Kelleher, who joined the squad mid-tour in South Africa. Robbie Henshaw, though, hasn’t been officially named in the squad due to a foot injury but he will continue his rehabilitation programme under the supervision of the Ireland medical team.

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      The biggest development, though, was the inclusion of Zebo in an Ireland squad for the first time since summer 2017 when he won the last of his 35 caps on tour in Japan. On announcing that October that he would be leaving Munster for Racing in France at the end of the 2017/18 season, he was immediately excluded from national team selection by then-head coach Joe Schmidt.

      While in the Top 14 Zebo regularly expressed his desire to play again for Ireland at some stage in the future and that ambition has now taken a massive step towards fruition with Farrell including the 31-year-old in his plans after the winger/full-back rejoined Munster in the recent off-season.

      Farrell said: “It has been a short lead-in to this international window but that is the challenge, to get back up to speed quickly and build on the performances from the Six Nations and the summer Tests. This is the start of an exciting period for the group as we begin to build towards the World Cup in France.

      “In September we got together and mapped out what was coming up in this window, the exciting fixtures that lay ahead in the next twelve months and beyond that the opportunities to improve as a group over the next five windows we will have together.”

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      IRELAND AUTUMN NATIONS SERIES SQUAD
      Backs (18):
      Bundee Aki (Connacht/Galwegians) 31 caps
      Robert Baloucoune (Ulster/Enniskillen) 1 cap
      Harry Byrne (Leinster/Lansdowne) 1 cap
      Joey Carbery (Munster/Clontarf) 24 caps
      Craig Casey (Munster/Shannon) 3 caps
      Andrew Conway (Munster/Garryowen) 25 caps
      Keith Earls (Munster/Young Munster) 93 caps
      Ciaran Frawley (Leinster/UCD)*
      Jamison Gibson Park (Leinster) 10 caps
      James Hume (Ulster/Banbridge) 1 cap
      Hugo Keenan (Leinster/UCD) 13 caps
      Jordan Larmour (Leinster/St Mary’s College) 30 caps
      James Lowe (Leinster) 6 caps
      Stuart McCloskey (Ulster/Bangor) 5 caps
      Conor Murray (Munster/Garryowen) 89 caps
      Garry Ringrose (Leinster/UCD) 34 caps
      Johnny Sexton (Leinster/St Mary’s College) 99 caps CAPTAIN
      Simon Zebo (Munster/Cork Constitution) 35 caps

      Forwards (20):
      Ryan Baird (Leinster/Dublin University) 5 caps
      Finlay Bealham (Connacht/Buccaneers) 16 caps
      Tadhg Beirne (Munster/Lansdowne) 22 caps
      Jack Conan (Leinster/Old Belvedere) 20 caps
      Gavin Coombes (Munster/Young Munster) 2 caps
      Ultan Dillane (Connacht/Corinthians) 19 caps
      Caelan Doris (Leinster/St Mary’s College) 9 caps
      Tadhg Furlong (Leinster/Clontarf) 49 caps
      Cian Healy (Leinster/Clontarf) 109 caps
      Iain Henderson (Ulster/Academy) 63 caps
      Rob Herring (Ulster/Ballynahinch) 22 caps
      Ronan Kelleher (Leinster/Lansdowne) 13 caps
      Dave Kilcoyne (Munster/UL Bohemians) 45 caps
      Peter O’Mahony (Munster/Cork Constitution) 76 caps
      Tom O’Toole (Ulster/Ballynahinch) 1 cap
      Andrew Porter (Leinster/UCD) 37 caps
      James Ryan (Leinster/UCD) 37 caps
      Dan Sheehan (Leinster/Lansdowne)*
      Nick Timoney (Ulster/Banbridge) 1 cap
      Josh van der Flier (Leinster/UCD) 32 caps
      *denotes uncapped player
      Development Players
      Thomas Ahern (Munster/Shannon)
      Jamie Osborne (Leinster/Naas)

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