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England A name 10 internationals to take on an Ireland XV
By Josh Raisey
England A head coach Mark Mapletoft has named eight senior internationals in his team to face an Ireland XV on Friday at Thomond Park, with a further two on the bench.
The match, which will serve as a precursor to the senior side’s opening match of the Guinness Six Nations the following day against Wales, will feature two players that were selected in Steve Borthwick’s Six Nations squad – Harlequins duo Cadan Murley and Jack Kenningham, who was added to the squad last week for their training camp in Girona.
Their Quins captain Alex Dombrandt will provide the most Test experience to the team, with 23 caps to his name, though his four-cap back-row colleague Ethan Roots has been handed the captaincy for the match in Munster.
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Alongside Dombrandt, Roots and Murley, Joe Carpenter, Ollie Hassell-Collins, Luke Northmore, Harry Randall and Jamie Blamire will provide Test experience to the starting XV, while Raffi Quirke and Charlie Atkinson are the two capped players on the bench.
The bench also includes Leicester Tigers’ 23-year-old loosehead Archie van der Flier, cousin of Ireland flanker Josh.
“We have high expectations for this group,” said Mapletoft.
“Every player has the talent to perform at their best and we’re looking forward to the challenge Friday. The mix of experience and emerging skill in this squad makes it a genuinely exciting team to work with.
“They will gel quickly, push each other, and learn from one another as we progress, which is exactly what we want from an England A side.”
England A XV
15. Joe Carpenter (Sale Sharks, 1 cap)
14. Cadan Murley (Harlequins, 3 caps)
13. Luke Northmore (Harlequins, 2 caps)
12. Orlando Bailey (Leicester Tigers, uncapped)
11. Ollie Hassell-Collins (Leicester Tigers, 2 caps)
10. Billy Searle (Leicester Tigers, uncapped)
9. Harry Randall (Bristol Bears, 14 caps)
1. Tarek Haffar (Leicester Tigers, uncapped)
2. Jamie Blamire (Leicester Tigers, 7 caps)
3. George Kloska (Bristol Bears, uncapped)
4. Ben Bamber (Sale Sharks, uncapped)
5. Joe Batley (Bristol Bears, uncapped)
6. Ethan Roots (C) (Exeter Chiefs, 4 caps)
7. Jack Kenningham (Harlequins, uncapped)
8. Alex Dombrandt (Harlequins, 23 caps)
Replacements
16. Kepueli Tuipulotu (Bath Rugby, uncapped)
17. Archie Van Der Flier (Leicester Tigers, uncapped)
18. Afolabi Fasogbon (Gloucester Rugby, uncapped)
19. Hugh Tizard (Saracens, uncapped)
20. Fitz Harding (Bristol Bears, uncapped)
21. Raffi Quirke (Sale Sharks, 2 caps)
22. Charlie Atkinson (Gloucester Rugby, 1 cap)
23. George Hendy (Northampton Saints, uncapped)
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