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Irish Mirror
Irish Mirror
Sport
Mark Donlon

Ireland team v New Zealand: When is Andy Farrell naming side for All Blacks clash?

Ireland will bid to make history on Saturday as they face the All Blacks in Eden Park.

The task facing Andy Farrell's men is huge as they look to defeat the All Blacks in New Zealand for the first time ever.

Ireland secured a famous Test victory over New Zealand at the Aviva Stadium back in November of last year in a 29-20 triumph which amounted to just the third Irish win over Kiwi opposition following successes in 2016 and 2018.

All eyes will be on who Farrell chooses in his starting 15 for the clash.

Here is all you need to know about when Saturday's starting line-up will be announced.

Are there any injured players ahead of the game?

Cian Healy is all but out of this game after hobbling off with a leg injury in the defeat against the Maori All Blacks. He had come on to replace prop Jeremy Loughman, who left the field requiring a HIA.

Despite passing the HIA which was undertaken by an independent doctor, Loughman was visibly struggling and was then taken off at half-time. His availability appears questionable for Saturday.

Rónan Kelleher has been ruled out of the tour, while Rob Herring misses this game with an unspecified injury.

James Hume and Jimmy O'Brien were helped from the pitch against the Maori All Blacks, and so their involvement on Saturday is questionable too.

Are there any new additions to the squad?

At the beginning of the tour, there were five uncapped players included in the 40-man squad. They were Ciaran Frawley, Joe McCarthy, Jimmy O’Brien (all Leinster), Jeremy Loughman (Munster) and Cian Prendergast (Connacht).

All five players featured in the defeat against the Maori All Blacks.

When will Andy Farrell name the team to face the All Blacks?

The Ireland team to face the All Blacks will be announced by head coach Andy Farrell on Thursday at roughly 3am Irish time.

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