Ireland are in Portugal this week as they prepare for their Six Nations opener against Wales on Saturday.
Andy Farrell's side travel to Cardiff for the opening game of the tournament as outright favourites to win the championship.
Farrell is expected to name his team for the Principality Stadium clash on Thursday at some stage before lunchtime.
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Tom Stewart joined the Ireland squad earlier this week as additional cover for Ronan Kelleher, who will be monitored after picking up a hamstring injury.
Stewart is a former Ireland Under-20 international and was also involved in the matchday preparations for the Ireland A game against the All Blacks XV in November.
Warren Gatland has already named his team for Saturday's clash, with Leigh Halfpenny set to make his first Test match start for 19 months.
Halfpenny, who has won 97 caps, last featured in the starting line-up when Wales beat Canada during their 2021 summer internationals.
He is joined in the back-three by Josh Adams and Rio Dyer, while Wales head coach Warren Gatland has selected six Ospreys forwards, plus centre Joe Hawkins, with Saracens’ Nick Tompkins missing out.
The Principality Stadium encounter kicks off Gatland’s second stint as Wales boss, with his previous reign between 2008 and 2019 yielding four Six Nations titles, three Grand Slams and two World Cup semi-finals.
Ospreys scrum-half Rhys Webb is set for a first Wales appearance since November 2020 after being named on the replacements’ bench, where there are also roles for Exeter lock Dafydd Jenkins, Webb’s regional team half-back partner Owen Williams and hooker Scott Baldwin.
Leicester flanker Tommy Reffell is also among the substitutes, with Gatland selecting a starting back-row of Jac Morgan, Justin Tipuric and Taulupe Faletau.
Gatland said: “We’ve picked Joe (Hawkins) at 12. He is a lovely footballer with some great skills. I thought for his first cap (against Australia in November) he was outstanding, so we have given him another opportunity.
“There is some real competition in the midfield at the moment, so I am really excited about that. There is a mixture in the team of some experience and some younger players. We were conscious as well picking the bench. We think we’ve got a bench that can come on and have an impact.
“Ireland are the number-one team in the world, so they’re going to be coming here with a lot of confidence.
“You don’t become the number-one team in the world without having some pretty consistent performances.
“We know how good they are and we are expecting a really tough contest. It’s important for us that we start well, but we need to be in the game at the last 20 minutes.
“We’ve only had a couple of weeks together, but I am confident that the guys will go out and give a good account of themselves.”
Meanwhile, Farrell believes the pressure of being favourites can aid Ireland’s ultimate quest for World Cup glory later this year.
“Internally, the main thing for us is being honest of where we’re at and what we need to get better at,” said the Englishman, whose team toppled the All Blacks, Australia and world champions South Africa in 2022.
“It was very evident to us in how our performances have gone over the last year of where we need to improve, so hopefully that looks after itself.
“Pressure is more internal than anything. If pressure from the outside begins to seep in then it’s good for us to be able to deal with that.
“We want to get better for what’s down the track for obvious reasons and dealing with a different type of pressure is going to be priceless for us going forward.”
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