Caelan Doris confirmed as captain as Ireland’s squad for Autumn Series is named

Caelan Doris has been named as captain of the Ireland team for their four-match Autumn Nations Series campaign while Andy Farrell has again included the uncapped duo of Cormac Izuchukwu and Sam Prendergast in the 35-man squad.
Both players featured for Emerging Ireland in Bloemfontein last month and were also part of Farrell’s summer tour squad to South Africa, which has largely been retained en bloc save for the injured Dan Sheehan, Oli Jager and Jimmy O’Brien, while the unlucky Jack Conan has again not been named after picking up a hamstring injury in Leinster’s win over Munster.
Peter O’Mahony is included in the extended panel and will continue his rehabilitation with Munster next week as he builds towards a return to action over the coming weeks.
The fit-again Mack Hansen returns, after missing the second half of last season with a shoulder injury, as does Hugo Keenan after his foray into the Ireland Olympics Sevens campaign.
Rónan Kelleher, also a doubt for the opening game against New Zealand, is one of three hookers named along with Rob Herring, who has yet to play for Ulster this season, and the in-form Connacht hooker Dave Heffernan, who was called up in South Africa as a replacement for Sheehan.
The 21-year-old Leinster and Emerging Ireland hooker Gus McCarthy is one of five uncapped players – Leinster props Thomas Clarkson and Jack Boyle, Munster backrow Alex Kendellen and Connacht’s South Africa-born Irish qualified back Shayne Bolton being the others – who have been named in the squad as training panellists “to increase their exposure to the national team environment”.
The Ireland squad will assemble at the IRFU high-performance centre on Monday, before departing for a warm-weather training camp in Portugal in preparation for the opening game against the All Blacks on Friday, November 8th (kick-off 8.10pm).
Ireland will then host Argentina on Friday, November 15th (8.10pm) and go head-to-head with Fiji on Saturday, November 23rd (3.10pm), before concluding the campaign against Australia for Irish Rugby’s 150th anniversary Test on Saturday, November 30th (3.10pm).
Looking ahead to the series, Farrell said: “The challenge that awaits us this November is one of the toughest we could face and I would like to congratulate each of the players on their selection.
“There is a blend of youth and experience, but all of the players are selected on merit carried from their form in recent months from the summer tour, the early rounds of the URC and at the Emerging Ireland Tour.
“While some of the players have been sidelined of late, collectively they are making positive strides on the injury front and we are hopeful that they will come into the selection frame over the course of the coming weeks as they ramp up their respective rehab programmes.
“The Emerging Ireland tours have presented a crop of less experienced players with the opportunity to impress and it was great to see a number of them take their chance. We have selected a further five uncapped players as training panellists in the extended panel and look forward to seeing them train up close over the coming weeks as they take the next steps in their playing careers.
“The Autumn Nations Series gives us the chance to play at home over four consecutive weekends, and with two Friday night games first up against New Zealand and Argentina, followed by Fiji and the IRFU’s 150th anniversary Test against Australia, it promises to be a cracking atmosphere next month at a packed Aviva Stadium.”
Doris said: “It is an enormous honour to be named Ireland captain and I am excited about leading the squad into battle over the coming weeks. I am very fortunate to have had so much support from my family and friends and many others along the way from Mayo to Blackrock and on to Leinster and Ireland.
“I am extremely proud to lead this squad and I know that there’s an experienced group of leaders who will work hard to achieve success in the weeks ahead. “We have a special group of players and I am confident that there are bright days to come as we build up for four huge Tests at Aviva Stadium.”
All of Ireland’s four matches will be live on Virgin Media in Republic of Ireland and TNT Sports in the United Kingdom.
Forwards (19):
Ryan Baird (Leinster), Finlay Bealham (Connacht), Tadhg Beirne (Munster), Caelan Doris (Leinster, capt), Tadhg Furlong (Leinster), Cian Healy (Leinster), Dave Heffernan (Connacht), Iain Henderson (Ulster), Rob Herring (Ulster), Cormac Izuchukwu (Ulster), Rónan Kelleher (Leinster), Joe McCarthy (Leinster), Peter O’Mahony (Munster), Tom O’Toole (Ulster), Andrew Porter (Leinster), Cian Prendergast (Connacht), James Ryan (Leinster), Nick Timoney (Ulster), Josh van der Flier (Leinster).
Backs (16):
Bundee Aki (Connacht), Craig Casey (Munster), Jack Crowley (Munster), Ciarán Frawley (Leinster), Jamison Gibson-Park (Leinster), Mack Hansen (Connacht), Robbie Henshaw (Leinster), Hugo Keenan (Leinster), James Lowe (Leinster), Stuart McCloskey (Ulster), Conor Murray (Munster), Calvin Nash (Munster), Jamie Osborne (Leinster), Sam Prendergast (Leinster), Garry Ringrose (Leinster), Jacob Stockdale (Ulster).
Training Panellists (5):
Thomas Clarkson (Leinster), Alex Kendellen (Munster), Shayne Bolton (Connacht), Jack Boyle (Leinster), Gus McCarthy (Leinster).