Rugby:The composite provincial squads for the first game to be staged at the new Aviva Stadium at Lansdowne Road have been revealed, while 40,000 tickets have already been sold for what is essentially an under-20 challenge match.
No fully contracted players are available as they are involved in pre-season training ahead of a World Cup year.
The IRFU had initially planned on selling in the region of just 30,000 tickets for the game on July 31st, to allow stadium director Martin Murphy ‘test the systems’ ahead of the visit of Manchester United and their game against an Airticity League of Ireland selection on August 4th.
However, having hosted 5,000 fans for the screening of the World Cup final earlier this month, Murphy and IRFU were happy to up the ticket sales to 45,000, just 5,000 below capacity.
The “limited number” the IRFU said remain available, then, was around 5,000 this afternoon.
On the pitch, the lucky few to raise the curtain on the stadium will come primarily from the academies of all four provinces, with a Munster-Connacht side being readied to face a squad comprised of 11 Ulster players and 11 Leinster.
The Munster-Connacht squad is a less evenly balanced after 14 from Munster's stable were selected in the 23-man squad.
It'll be a talented bunch on display. Munster’s Gareth Quinn McDonogh was a member of the Ireland U20 squad that won the Six Nations Championship last season, while a host of other players have represented Ireland’s U18 Schools' team.
Former Irish internationals and Ulster academy coaches Johnny Bell and Gary Longwell will join forces with Leinster academy coach Colin McEntee to lead their provinces.
Connacht’s Nigel Carolan and Munster academy coaches Ken O’Connell and Ian Sherwin will be guiding their opponents.
Munster-Connacht:Ronan Barry (Munster), Callum Boland (Connacht), Shane Buckley (Munster), Shane Leydon (Connacht), Luke Cahill (Munster), Aaron Conneely (Connacht), Jack Costigan (Munster), Mark Dolan (Connacht), Johnny Holland (Munster), Daniel Horgan (Munster), Lucas Kunz (Munster), Tadhg Leader Connacht), Eoin McKeon (Connacht), Ian Mullarkey (Munster), Paul Mullen (Munster), Rob O'Herlihy (Munster), Danny Qualter(Connacht), Gareth Quinn-McDonogh (Munster), James Rael (Munster), Ben Sargent (Munster), Aaron Spring (Connacht), Kieran Stokes (Munster), Sean Wooton (Connacht)
Leinster- Ulster:Andrew Boyle (Leinster), Conor Carey (Ulster), Paddy Carroll (Leinster), Sam Coughlan Murray (Leinster), Peter du Toit (Leinster), Craig Gilroy (Ulster), Ian Henderson (Ulster), Robert Hynes (Leinster), Paddy Jackson (Ulster), Alex Kelly (Leinster), Stephen Lecky (Ulster), Paddy Marks (Ulster), Cathal Marsh (Leinster), Luke Marshall (Ulster), Michael McAuley (Ulster), Mark McGroarty (Leinster), David McGuigan (Ulster), Emmet McMahon (Leinster), Martin Moore (Leinster), Jonny Murphy (Ulster), Conor Spence (Ulster), James Tracy (Leinster)