Baloucoune starts as Ireland recall key men to face All Blacks

ByMatt Gault

BBC Sport NI senior journalist

Fit-again wing Robert Baloucoune returns to the Ireland line-up for Saturday's much-anticipated Nations Championship game against New Zealand in Auckland.

Baloucoune, who won the Six Nations Rising Player award after starring in Ireland's Triple Crown campaign earlier this year, missed the wins over Australia and Japan with a hamstring issue.

Head coach Andy Farrell recalls a host of key players after fielding a heavily rotated in last week's 36-20 victory over Japan, with the return of captain Dan Sheehan, prop Tadhg Furlong and fly-half Sam Prendergast among nine changes.

Tom O'Toole, Tadhg Beirne, James Ryan, Jack Conan, Stuart McCloskey and Jimmy O'Brien are the six players retained in the line-up.

Having beaten the Wallabies and Brave Blossoms, Ireland aim to round out the southern hemisphere leg of their Nations Championship campaign with a statement win at Eden Park (08:10 BST).

The All Blacks, who beat France and Italy in their first two games, have not lost at the Auckland venue since 1994, a run of 52 Tests.

Having selected four debutants in an experimental squad against Japan last week, Farrell has picked a side loaded with experience for the trip to Eden Park.

Hugo Keenan, outstanding against Australia, returns at full-back with O'Brien shifting wings to the left to accommodate Baloucoune's return.

Jamie Osborne and Jacob Stockdale, who started on the left wing against Australia and Japan, are not included in the matchday squad.

Garry Ringrose partners McCloskey in midfield as Robbie Henshaw drops out, while Prendergast and Jamison Gibson-Park renew their half-back pairing.

In the pack, O'Toole makes his fifth successive Test start at loose-head prop stretching back to the Six Nations, with three-time British and Irish Lion tight-head Furlong and hooker Sheehan restored to the front row.

Joe McCarthy is reinstalled in the second row alongside Ryan, meaning Beirne - who captained Ireland for the first time last week - moves to blind-side flanker. Open-side Josh van der Flier and number eight Conan complete the back row.

Jeremy Loughman is picked as the loose-head cover on the bench after recovering from the head injury that ruled him out of the Japan game.

Ronan Kelleher and Thomas Clarkson provide further front-row cover, while Nick Timoney and New Zealand-born Sean Jansen - who impressed on debut against Japan - round out the five forwards on the bench.

Craig Casey, Ciaran Frawley - who was handed a first Test start at fly-half last week - and Bundee Aki are named as the replacement backs.

Ireland have won six matches in a row but have lost the past three meetings with the All Blacks, including an epic 2023 Rugby World Cup quarter-final and November encounters in Dublin and Chicago.

Farrell's side lost 42-19 when they last visited Eden Park in 2022, but bounced back to win in Dunedin and Wellington and clinch a historic 2-1 Test series victory.

Ireland: Keenan; Baloucoune, Ringrose, McCloskey, J O'Brien; Prendergast, Gibson-Park; O'Toole, Sheehan (capt), Furlong, McCarthy, Ryan, Beirne, Van der Flier, Conan.

Replacements: Kelleher, Loughman, Clarkson, Timoney, Jansen, Casey, Frawley, Aki.