Ireland name 2 uncapped players and recall Zebo after 4 years out

Andy Farrell has named a 38-strong Ireland squad for next month's international series, keeping veteran Johnny Sexton on as captain, recalling Simon Zebo from the international wilderness and including two uncapped players from Leinster in the guise of Ciaran Frawley and Dan Sheehan. Ireland begin their schedule versus Japan on November 6 and follow it with matches versus New Zealand and Argentina.

Aside from bringing in two untried players, Farrell has given a vote of confidence to what was seen during the July summer series as Robert Baloucoune, Harry Byrne, Gavin Coombes, James Hume, Tom O’Toole and Nick Timoney - who all won their debut caps - have been retained.

Six of the Ireland players who toured Lions during the summer - Bundee Aki, Tadhg Beirne, Jack Conan, Tadgh Furlong, Iain Henderson and Conor Murray - are also included as is Ronan Kelleher, who joined the squad mid-tour in South Africa. Robbie Henshaw, though, hasn't been officially named in the squad due to a foot injury but he will continue his rehabilitation programme under the supervision of the Ireland medical team.

The biggest development, though, was the inclusion of Zebo in an Ireland squad for the first time since summer 2017 when he won the last of his 35 caps on tour in Japan. On announcing that October that he would be leaving Munster for Racing in France at the end of the 2017/18 season, he was immediately excluded from national team selection by then-head coach Joe Schmidt.

While in the Top 14 Zebo regularly expressed his desire to play again for Ireland at some stage in the future and that ambition has now taken a massive step towards fruition with Farrell including the 31-year-old in his plans after the winger/full-back rejoined Munster in the recent off-season.

Farrell said: "It has been a short lead-in to this international window but that is the challenge, to get back up to speed quickly and build on the performances from the Six Nations and the summer Tests. This is the start of an exciting period for the group as we begin to build towards the World Cup in France.

"In September we got together and mapped out what was coming up in this window, the exciting fixtures that lay ahead in the next twelve months and beyond that the opportunities to improve as a group over the next five windows we will have together."

IRELAND AUTUMN NATIONS SERIES SQUAD

Backs (18):

Bundee Aki (Connacht/Galwegians) 31 caps

Robert Baloucoune (Ulster/Enniskillen) 1 cap

Harry Byrne (Leinster/Lansdowne) 1 cap

Joey Carbery (Munster/Clontarf) 24 caps

Craig Casey (Munster/Shannon) 3 caps

Andrew Conway (Munster/Garryowen) 25 caps

Keith Earls (Munster/Young Munster) 93 caps

Ciaran Frawley (Leinster/UCD)*

Jamison Gibson Park (Leinster) 10 caps

James Hume (Ulster/Banbridge) 1 cap

Hugo Keenan (Leinster/UCD) 13 caps

Jordan Larmour (Leinster/St Mary’s College) 30 caps

James Lowe (Leinster) 6 caps

Stuart McCloskey (Ulster/Bangor) 5 caps

Conor Murray (Munster/Garryowen) 89 caps

Garry Ringrose (Leinster/UCD) 34 caps

Johnny Sexton (Leinster/St Mary’s College) 99 caps CAPTAIN

Simon Zebo (Munster/Cork Constitution) 35 caps

Forwards (20):

Ryan Baird (Leinster/Dublin University) 5 caps

Finlay Bealham (Connacht/Buccaneers) 16 caps

Tadhg Beirne (Munster/Lansdowne) 22 caps

Jack Conan (Leinster/Old Belvedere) 20 caps

Gavin Coombes (Munster/Young Munster) 2 caps

Ultan Dillane (Connacht/Corinthians) 19 caps

Caelan Doris (Leinster/St Mary’s College) 9 caps

Tadhg Furlong (Leinster/Clontarf) 49 caps

Cian Healy (Leinster/Clontarf) 109 caps

Iain Henderson (Ulster/Academy) 63 caps

Rob Herring (Ulster/Ballynahinch) 22 caps

Ronan Kelleher (Leinster/Lansdowne) 13 caps

Dave Kilcoyne (Munster/UL Bohemians) 45 caps

Peter O’Mahony (Munster/Cork Constitution) 76 caps

Tom O’Toole (Ulster/Ballynahinch) 1 cap

Andrew Porter (Leinster/UCD) 37 caps

James Ryan (Leinster/UCD) 37 caps

Dan Sheehan (Leinster/Lansdowne)*

Nick Timoney (Ulster/Banbridge) 1 cap

Josh van der Flier (Leinster/UCD) 32 caps

*denotes uncapped player

Development Players

Thomas Ahern (Munster/Shannon)

Jamie Osborne (Leinster/Naas)