Garry Ringrose will win his long-awaited first Test cap on Saturday with Ireland primed to hand out eight debuts in all against Canada in Dublin.
Prodigiously-talented Leinster 21-year-old Ringrose features at outside centre in an entirely-changed starting XV from last weekend’s history-making 40-29 victory over New Zealand in Chicago.
Munster back-five forwards Billy Holland and Jack O’Donoghue will make their Test bows in the pack, with five potential debutants lying in wait on the bench.
Hooker James Tracy, prop John Ryan, flanker Dan Leavy, scrum-half Luke McGrath and wing Niyi Adeolokun are all now primed for their first taste of Test action this weekend.
Flanker Peter O’Mahony captains Joe Schmidt’s side in his first Test turn since tearing knee ligaments in Ireland’s 24-9 World Cup victory over France in October 2015.
Leinster’s bulldozing back-rower Sean O’Brien starts at openside in his first international since tearing a hamstring in February’s 10-9 RBS 6 Nations defeat in France.
Head coach Schmidt omitted senior back-row forwards O’Mahony and O’Brien from last weekend’s Chicago trip, where Ireland claimed their first-ever win over New Zealand after 111 years of trying.
Now both flankers will throw everything at Canada in a bid to force themselves into contention for the rematch with New Zealand in Dublin on Saturday week.
Ireland head coach Schmidt hailed Ringrose as a “natural player” primed to transfer his free-running attacking game to the Test arena.
“He’s given us confidence that he’s ready and I don’t doubt that he’s ready to get started,” said Schmidt.
“Garry’s a really natural player. He sees things ahead of other people because of how well he reads the game.
“And he’s defensively astute too.
“With the experience we have around him in that backline, with Luke Marshall who went very well in South Africa, I think hopefully it’s a good balance.”
Schmidt also revealed Ulster lock Iain Henderson was close to a return, but just not quite fully fit after shoulder trouble.
“Iain trained really well this week and we just felt that he’s very close but it would be a little bit of a risk that if he got a knock he could well be out for two to three weeks,” said Schmidt.
“This way he’ll definitely be fit to train fully for a whole week.”
