'Perfect opportunity' awaits young Ireland players in 'bear pit'

Assistant coach Denis Leamy feels the summer tour to Georgia and Portugal will help the new members of the squad soon settle into “playing the Irish way”.

With 16 Ireland players involved with the British and Irish Lions and regular skipper Caelan Doris sidelined, Munster scrum-half Craig Casey will lead a youthful squad into the two Tests.

Ireland tackle Georgia in Tbilisi on Saturday, then take on Portugal a week later in Lisbon.

With Ireland head coach Andy Farrell and some of his assistants away leading the Lions in Australia, forwards coach Paul O’Connell is in temporary charge of the team.

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Munster defence coach Leamy – who is supporting O’Connell along with Mike Prendergast and Colm Tucker – feels the two Test matches offer the perfect opportunity for the uncapped players to make a lasting impression.

“It is about implementing old and new into the Irish gameplan and playing the Irish way, seeing how players do in this environment and how they can produce big efforts and big performances,” Leamy said at a press conference in Dublin.

“It is about building that catalogue of experience with those players and giving them a feel of what Test rugby looks like.

“Obviously we are missing a big chunk of the players who have gone to Australia with the Lions, but it is a great opportunity for the boys coming in to show what they can do.

“It will be very, very similar if not the same (as under Farrell), so that is the plan.”

Ulster prop Scott Wilson has been drafted in as the 13th uncapped player in O’Connell’s 33-strong squad.

Munster duo Tom Ahern and Calvin Nash are both on track to be involved again following injury.

Leamy feels Georgia will provide a stern test in their “bear pit” at the Mikheil Meskhi Stadium.

“They are a very experienced Georgian team,” Leamy said.

“A lot of them have played in World Cups, a huge amount of them play in the Top 14 (in France), so they are well accustomed to big games, being in tough environments.

“It is a really good challenge for a young team and to go to Tbilisi, into a bit of a bear pit – it is going to be physical, it is going to be hot, it is everything we want to expose our young players to.”