Who are the three uncapped players in Ireland squad?

ByRichard Petrie

BBC Sport NI Journalist

The sense of anticipation felt by Ireland supporters about the start of the inaugural Nations Championship ramped up a degree or two on Wednesday when head coach Andy Farrell named his 36-man squad for the three matches his side will play in July.

Farrell's selection for the games against Australia, Japan and New Zealand in July features three players who have yet to win their first caps, all three of those Connacht forwards.

Props Billy Bohan and Sam Illo, along with back row Sean Jansen, are part of the group which will travel to Sydney on Monday to begin their preparation for the three Test matches in the southern hemisphere.

The call-ups reflect the excellent form shown by Connacht in the latter half of the season particularly, as a run of positive results by Stuart Lancaster's team's moved them into eighth in the United Rugby Championship table, and thereby progressing to the end-of-season play-offs and qualify for next season's Champions Cup.

In total, six Connacht players have been named with Darragh Murray, Cian Prendergast and Bundee Aki also having been chosen.

The inclusion of front-rowers Illo and Bohan owes much to the unavailability of injured Leinster props Andrew Porter, Jack Boyle and Paddy McCarthy, but both will be keen to make the most of the opportunity afforded to them.

With the opening fixture with the Wallabies in Sydney on 4 July, BBC Sport NI takes a closer look at the credentials of the uncapped trio in the Ireland squad.

Kildare-born Bohan was part of Ireland's Six Nations squad earlier this year but did not play.

Given his shortage of loose-head prop options, Farrell has opted for another look at the 20-year-old, who has shown impressive maturity in his first season at senior level.

Bohan has established himself as a regular starter under head coach Lancaster at Connacht after making his debut in December, although Farrell also has Jeremy Loughman and Tom O'Toole as more experienced options in that position.

Following consistent performances at underage levels, Bohan was formally promoted from the Academy system into the senior professional squad roster for the current campaign.

He made his senior competitive debut for the first team during the 2025-26 season, against Georgian club Black Lion in the European Challenge Cup, and accumulated 11 appearances in URC fixtures.

In 2025, Bohan was part of the Ireland Under-20 team which contested the U20 Six Nations and also featured at the 2025 World Rugby U20 Championship.

In January 2026, Bohan was called up to the Irish Wolfhounds, before subsequently joining up with the senior squad.

Dublin native Illo is selected for the senior Ireland squad for the first time, although he has previously featured for Emerging Ireland.

The involvement of the tight-head will give Farrell a closer look at another front row option just over a year out from the Rugby World Cup in Australia.

The 25-year-old's impressive form this season ensured he enjoyed his best run in the Connacht team since making his bow in 2022.

Previously with the Leinster academy, he debuted for Connacht against Stade Francais in the European Champions Cup.

A former Ireland Under-20 international during the 2021 Six Nations, he transferred to the western province ahead of the 2022/23 season to secure senior game time.

Illo has accumulated 49 appearances for Connacht by the end of the current season, contributing significantly across both the URC and in continental competition.

Back row Jansen was born and raised in New Zealand but qualifies for Ireland through his grandparents, who are from Antrim and Kildare.

The 27-year-old has previously played for Emerging Ireland but is included in a senior panel for the first time as reward for a series of impressive displays for the western province.

Jansen was a regular try-scorer for Connacht in the season just past, his tally of 10 tries in the URC being more than any other player in the Irish squad.

The number eight was also third in terms of tackles made, with 219, lending credibility to the theory that he has the tools to challenge more established players in his position, including Caelan Doris and Jack Conan.

Jansen was a late starter in terms of taking up the sport professionally, initially playing for the Green Island club in Dunedin and for North Otago.

After a season and a half with Leicester Tigers, during which he played 15 times and scored five tries, he joined Connacht in the summer of 2023.