Ireland v South Africa LIVE team announcement for first test

Andy Farrell will name his side for the first test at 2pm this afternoon.

By: irishmirror.ie

Jul 04 2024
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Ireland v South Africa LIVE te

Ireland head coach Andy Farrell will name his team this afternoon for this weekend's first test with World Champions South Africa.

The Ireland boss is expected to announce his team at 2pm.

Farrell will be without one of his key players this Summer as Hugo Keenan has opted to play in the Olympics for the Sevens team.

“The idea was always there," he says of switching back for the Paris Olympics.

"Four or five years ago my last tournament with the Sevens was a qualifier for the Tokyo Olympics in Toulouse and I had to step away from that goal at the time.

"I always sort of had it in the back of my mind that I’d love to do it but it all was going to depend on how this season panned out.

"It was always going to be a late decision and based on whether my body was right because I had a few injuries hanging around after the Six Nations."

We will have live updates and reaction throughout the afternoon as the team is named.

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"I'm on news from home on the bus," he groans, "so I'm doing my best news reporter impression from the top of the bus. I'm not much craic with it but am working on it."

"It's been good so far," he says, "I suppose same as any other camp, just try to throw myself in and get the connections built up again with lad's you haven't seen in a while.

"It has been class to get over here and spend more time with the lads and get to know people more.

"It's obviously a massive challenge coming down to South Africa where it's hard enough to win a game in the URC down here so I can imagine what the international tests are going to be like.

"The coaches have obviously told us how much of a massive challenge it is and Paul O'Connell was saying to us that only one Irish team has actually one down here internationally.

"So that's another massive challenge and something that we have to get over ourselves and hopefully come up with positive results."