Irish XV has three uncapped players

THE IRISH XV to meet Munster at Thomond Park on Sunday week includes three uncapped players, one of whom blind side, flanker Stuart Duncan, is not a member of the Ireland squad.

The other two uncapped players are hookers Shane Byrne and right wing James Topping both squad members.

With the Munster players in the squad being freed to play for the province, the national selectors' have gone outside the squad for some of their replacements, which include non squad members Eric Elwood, Barry Walsh and the four development players who are contracted to the IRFU and who participate in squad sessions.

They are wing Den is Hickie, Jan Cunningham, Colin McEntee and Brian O'Meara. Scrum half O'Meara, is in fact, a member of the Munster squad and played for the province against Manchester last week, but his inclusion in the Ireland replacement panel is with the agreement of the Munster manager Colm Tucker.

"Ireland released our players to play for the province and we had no difficulty releasing Brian at Pat Whelan's request. We have two other scrum halves in our squad in Stephen McIvor and David O'Mahony so we are adequately covered," Tucker said.

McIvor and Hogan are the scrum halves in the Ireland squad. The third scrum half originally chosen in the panel. Chris Saverimutto is out of the game until the new year following a knee operation.

"We have selected 10 replacements to cover the possibility of any of our players being injured playing the previous day," Ireland's manager, Pat Whelan, said.

The players based with English clubs will all be engaged the previous day when there is a full English league programme. Leinster also play the previous day, against the Italian Zebras in Genoa, but I understand the Leinster players in the panel for Limerick will not be asked by Leinster to play against the Zebras.

These include Niall Hogan and Byrne, both in the Irish side while the members of the replacement panel for Limerick who will be in Italy with Leinster are Hickie, Henry Hurley, Angus Me Keen and McEntee.

Elwood is due to go to Sweden with Connacht next week for a two match tour and Connacht play the second match of that tour in Stockholm on Saturday week as well as a match next Tuesday.

There are seven changes and a positional alteration compared to the Ireland side that lined out against the Barbarians last May.

Maurice Field is in the centre for Robert Henderson, now a declared Monster player; Niall Woods is on the left wing where Topping, now on the right wing, played against the Barbarians when Richard Wallace another Munster player was on the right wing.

In the pack, Nick Popplewell takes over from Hurley at loose head prop and Byrne is at hooker for Allan Clarke. Paddy Johns is in the second row for Munster's Gabriel Fulcher and Duncan on the blind side flank for Eddie Halvey, who is also required by Munster.

Ten of the Irish side for Limerick played in Ireland's last full international against England in March. They are Simon Mason, Jonathan Bell, Field, Woods, David Humphreys, Hogan, Nick Popplewell, Jeremy Davidson, Denis McBride and Victor Costello.

The Monster team will be chosen at the weekend. "We were very pleased with the performances. We have a few injuries but nothing serious and we hope to finalise the team to meet Ireland at the weekend. I think that the match should be very beneficial and we are especially pleased to be playing the Irish team in Thomond Park," said Tucker.