Four Connacht players have been named for the Irish national side that will face off against the All-Blacks at the RDS this evening.

Ballina's Dave Heffernan, Gavin Thornbury, and Cian Prendergast will all be starting for Ireland this evening, while Caolin Blade will be among the replacements.

Aside from Heffernan and Prendergast, the Ireland side ‘A’ features 10 players who played against the Māori All Blacks during the Summer Tour of New Zealand – Craig Casey, Gavin Coombes, Ciarán Frawley, James Hume, Jeremy Loughman, Michael Lowry, Joe McCarthy, Jimmy O’Brien, Tom O’Toole, and Nick Timoney.

Jamie Osborne is one of three from the Emerging Ireland squad in the starting line up alongside Prendergast and McCarthy.

Diarmuid Barron, Jack Crowley, Max Deegan and Calvin Nash, who were also on the Emerging Ireland Tour to South Africa, are named among the replacements.

Craig Casey will captain the side which features Jacob Stockdale, who last lined out for Ireland against Japan in July 2021, while among the replacements is Marty Moore whose last game for Ireland was against Scotland in March 2015.