Head Coach Cullie Tucker has named the Ireland XV Match Day Squad for Friday night’s clash against England ‘A’ at Thomond Park.

Leinster’s Max Deegan will captain the side as one of six senior capped Test internationals in the starting team.

Shane Daly, James Hume and Ciaran Frawley all add international experience to the backline, while Deegan, Gus McCarthy and Fineen Wycherley are named in the pack.

Daly, Zac Ward and Joshua Kenny start in Ireland XV’s back three, with Hume joined by Dan Kelly in midfield. There is an all Leinster half-back pairing as Fintan Gunne starts at scrum-half alongside Frawley at out-half.

In the pack, Billy Bohan, McCarthy and Scott Wilson are in the front row, while Charlie Irvine and Wycherley start in the engine room.

Deegan leads the side from blindside flanker and is joined in the back row by Bryn Ward at openside and Brian Gleeson at number eight.

On the bench, Diarmuid Barron, Sam Crean, Jack Aungier, Harry Sheridan, Paul Boyle and Sean Jansen provide the forward replacements, while backs Matthew Devine and Cathal Forde complete the Match Day Squad.

Friday’s match, which kicks off at 7.15pm, is live on Premier Sports.

Ireland XV (Club/Province/Test caps)

15. Shane Daly (Cork Constitution/Munster)(2)
14. Joshua Kenny (Terenure/Leinster)
13. James Hume (Banbridge/Ulster)(3)
12. Dan Kelly (Munster)
11. Zac Ward (Ballynahinch/Ulster)
10. Ciaran Frawley (UCD/Leinster)(9)
9. Fintan Gunne (Terenure/Leinster)

1. Billy Bohan (Corinthians/Connacht)
2. Gus McCarthy (UCD/Leinster)(7)
3. Scott Wilson (Queen’s University Belfast/Ulster)
4. Charlie Irvine (Queen’s University/Ulster)
5. Fineen Wycherley (Young Munster/Munster)(1)
6. Max Deegan (Lansdowne/Leinster)(4)(captain)
7. Bryn Ward (Ballynahinch/Ulster)
8. Brian Gleeson (Garryowen/Munster)

Replacements:

16. Diarmuid Barron (Garryowen/Munster)
17. Sam Crean (Ulster)
18. Jack Aungier (Clontarf/Connacht)(1)
19. Harry Sheridan (Dublin University/Ulster)
20. Paul Boyle (Buccaneers/Connacht)(1)
21. Matthew Devine (Corinthians/Connacht)
22. Cathal Forde (Corinthians/Connacht)
23. Seán Jansen (Connacht).

Ireland will have a four-athlete team at the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games, which get underway on Friday, 6 February.

Irish competitors will compete in events across four competition clusters in northern Italy.

Team Ireland combining emerging talent and established experience, with three first-time Olympians and one athlete competing in his third Olympic Games.

Irish athletes will compete in Alpine Skiing, Freestyle Skiing and Cross Country Skiing.

Meet Team Ireland

Anabelle Zurbay 

Anabelle will compete in Alpine Skiing, specifically focusing on the technical events – Slalom and Giant Slalom, the latter being her favoured event. The Colorado-based athlete is not only the youngest member of the team; she is also the youngest Irish athlete to ever compete in Alpine Skiing at the Olympics, and she turned 17 last December. Zurbay’s family, via her maternal grandmother, comes from Rosemount, outside Moate. Anabelle, also known as Annie, will be competing in the Cortina cluster.

Ben Lynch 

Ben will compete in the Freestyle Skiing Halfpipe event. The Dublin-born skier moved to Vancouver, Canada, with his family when he was three, where he discovered skiing. Despite his family mostly being successful rowers, Ben enjoyed the freedom of skiing, and specifically the expressive element of freestyle disciplines. He is a first-time Olympian and will be based in Livigno for the duration of the Games.

Cormac Comerford 

Cormac will compete in Alpine Skiing, with the Slalom being his favourite discipline. The Dublin skier first learnt his love for skiing at the Kilternan dry slopes, and is also competing in his first Olympic Games. Working as a Mechanical Engineer in the off-season, Cormac spends most of the winter travelling Europe, training and competing. He will be competing in the Bormio cluster.

Thomas Maloney Westgård 

Thomas is the veteran of the team, and is set to compete in his third Olympic Games, when he will become only the second man to ever compete in three winter games. He competes in the Cross Country events, with the 50km race his favourite discipline. Thomas was born in a small island called Leka in Norway to a Galway mother and Norwegian father, and following a hugely successful few seasons, he competes for professional team Team Aker Dæhlie. Thomas will be competing in Predazzo, in the Val di Fiemme cluster.

Team Ireland Schedule

Saturday 7 February: Cormac Comerford – Downhill (Alpine Skiing), Bormio; RTÉ Player, 11.20am to 12.55pm

Sunday 8 February: Thomas Maloney Westgård – 10km + 10km Skiathlon (Cross Country), Predazzo; RTÉ Player, 11.20am to 12.55pm

Wednesday 11 February: Cormac Comerford – Super-G (Alpine Skiing), Bormio; RTÉ Player, 10.20am to 12.45pm

Friday 13 February: Thomas Maloney Westgård – 10km Free (Cross Country), Predazzo; RTÉ Player, 10.35am to 12.45pm

Saturday 14 February: Cormac Comerford – Giant Slalom Run 1 & 2 (Alpine Skiing), Bormio; RTÉ Player, 8.50am to 11.05am, 12.20pm to 2.10pm

Sunday 15 February: Anabelle Zurbay – Giant Slalom Run 1 & 2 (Alpine Skiing), Cortina; RTÉ Player, 8.50am to 11.05am, 12.20pm to 2.10pm

Monday 16 February: Cormac Comerford – Slalom Run 1 & 2 (Alpine Skiing), Bormio; RTÉ Player, 8.50am to 11.05am, 12.20pm to 2.10pm

Wednesday 18 February: Anabelle Zurbay – Slalom Run 1 & 2 (Alpine Skiing), Cortina; RTÉ Player, 8.50am to 11.05am, 12.20pm to 2.10pm

Thursday 19 February: Ben Lynch – Halfpipe Qualification (Freestyle Skiing), Livigno; RTÉ Player, 9.25am to 11.30am

Friday 20 February: Ben Lynch – Halfpipe Final (Freestyle Skiing), Livigno; RTÉ Player, 9.25am to 11.30am

Saturday 21 February: Thomas Maloney Westgård – 50km Classic (Cross Country), Predazzo; RTÉ Player, 9.50am to 1pm

Sunday 22 February: Closing Ceremony – Verona (All athletes); RTÉ Player, 6.45pm to 10pm.

Scottish Muay Thai sensation ‘King of the North’ Nico Carrillo is proud of his achievements in ONE Championship, most especially coming back from the jaws of defeat to now being on the brink of winning the coveted gold.

Carrillo will challenge for the interim featherweight Muay Thai belt next week in what is his second opportunity at the ONE world title.

Speaking to ONE Championship in a recent interview, Carrillo looked back on his journey to reach this point in his career. And he says the setbacks he’s faced have made his time in the ring more meaningful.

‘King of the North’ told the world’s largest martial arts organization:

“It doesn’t change anything. It just makes it feel sweeter for me. In the end, it’s to look back and tell people how epic [the story is] because it’s amazing coming up on ONE Championship, winning every fight, and then just winning the title. Yeah, that would have been an amazing thing.”

Needless to say, Carrillo is confident he will get the job done this time after missing the chance to win gold against Nabil Anane last year.

Fans won’t have to wait long to see ‘King of the North’ Nico Carrillo back in action.

Nico Carrillo to face Shadow Singha Mawynn for interim featherweight Muay Thai world title at ONE Fight Night 40 on Prime Video

‘King of the North’ Nico Carrillo will step into the ONE Championship ring to face Thailand’s Shadow Singha Mawynn for the right to be crowned the ONE interim featherweight Muay Thai world champion.

The two lock horns at ONE Fight Night 40: Buntan vs. Hemetsberger II on Prime Video, which broadcasts live in American primetime on Friday, Feb. 13 from the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

Fans in the United States and Canada can catch all the action live and absolutely free with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.

Stay tuned to Sportskeeda MMA for all the latest news and updates surrounding Nico Carrillo’s next fight.