The Irish team to play Connacht on Saturday in their first World Cup warm-up match will be announced today and while Conor McGuinness and Eric Elwood have been released to play for the home side, Matt Mostyn is likely to line-up against his new provincial team-mates.

This is due to the number of injured wingers in the Irish squad. James Topping is carrying a groin injury, and Jonathan Bell also has a minor knock while Denis Hickie has been advised to rest his broken nose for another few days.

Hence, in addition to the Connacht halves, Hickie will be released from the Irish squad today prior to their transfer from Limerick to Galway, as have his fellow Leinster players Robert Casey and Reggie Corrigan, as well as David Corkery, Rob Henderson and Kieron Dawson.

The Irish management have requested that both Henderson and Dawson play for Leinster in the province's game against Argentina next Tuesday evening in Donnybrook.

In the meantime, as many as nine or 10 of the 26-strong Irish party which travels to Galway will tog out as substitutes for Saturday's game. Furthermore, it is likely that Connacht will be buttressed by a couple of players from outside the province, most probably in back row area.

Meanwhile, a decision regarding the re-arrangement of the Guinness Inter-provincial clash between Ulster and Munster - in the light of Ravenhill's unavailability for the proposed September 3rd tie - has been deferred until today or tomorrow.