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ireland head coach andy farrell captain says cailan doris He is in “very good shape” after a six-month absence due to injury and will be disappointed not to start Saturday’s clash with New Zealand in Chicago.
leinster Back-rower Doris is set to return to action off the bench at Soldier Field, having not played since undergoing surgery on a shoulder injury on May 3.
Along with the 27-year-old replacement, Jack Conan and Ryan Baird will start at number eight and blindside flanker respectively, while hooker Dan Sheehan will captain the team.
“I think at the beginning of the season you need a little bit of firepower coming off the bench and looking at Kellan, he’s in great shape,” Farrell told reporters Thursday.
“He’s been performing a little bit well and he’ll be disappointed not to start and you want that too. But he’s going to add a lot coming off the bench.
“Set-piece wise, we know how tough the challenge is going to be, it’s always against New Zealand.
“We know Ryan is a fantastic lineout forward, so we’re expecting things from him in that regard.”
Farrell is set to take charge of Ireland for the first time in almost a year following his sabbatical with the British and Irish Lions.
of Munster jack crawley Leinster’s Sam Prendergast has been allowed to provide back-up at fly-half.
Crawley, 25, was first-choice at number 10 during Ireland’s Six Nations title success in 2024, but he was dropped from the team by 22-year-old Prendergast last season.
Farrell said of Crawley’s selection, “He deserves it.”
“He had a great pre-season, came back, started the season in good form and that’s definitely something we saw in the first week here.
“We’ve had a great camp with the boys getting back together. It definitely shows us where everyone is at in terms of competition and respect and what they’re trying to get from each other.
“You look at it all and you decide who deserves to start and that’s fair. Jack has been running the team really well this week, so we’re looking forward to seeing him perform.”
Ulster’s Stuart McCloskey has been selected ahead of Bundy Aki at inside centre, while Tommy O’Brien and Jamie Osborne will start at right wing and full-back respectively after injuries to Mac Henson and Hugo Keenan.
Uncapped Leinster prop Paddy McCarthy – the 22-year-old younger brother of injured lock Joe McCarthy – is one of the replacements.
Ireland memorably recorded their first win over the All Blacks – a 40–29 win – when the two sides previously met in Chicago in 2016.
They have since beaten New Zealand four times, including a historic 2-1 tour success in 2022, but lost in the quarter-finals of the 2019 and 2023 Rugby World Cups and in Dublin last November.
With two years remaining before the 2027 World Cup in Australia, Farrell urged his players to strive for improvement.
“There’s talk about the halfway stage between World Cup cycles, so there’s always a reassessment of where all the parts of our game are and we’ve certainly done that,” Farrell said.
“It is up to us to make sure that we keep moving forward because staying where we are will do us no good going forward.”