Zebo dropped as Ireland call-up uncapped quartet

Simon Zebo has been left out of the Ireland squad for their November internationals but uncapped quartet Bundee Aki, Adam Byrne, Chris Farrell and Darren Sweetnam got the nod.

Zebo this week announced that he will leave Munster at the end of the season to move overseas and the experienced wing was not among the 38 players named by Joe Schmidt for the Tests against South Africa, Fiji and Argentina at the Aviva Stadium.

Connacht's New Zealand-born centre Aki gets the nod along with Leinster wing Byrne, centre Farrell and his Munster team-mate Sweetnam, who will be hoping to make his debut on the wing.

Ireland head coach Schmidt, said: "In what we anticipate will be an incredibly physical [November] Series plenty will be demanded of the squad.

"We have retained a core of experienced players but have also included a number of promising players that we hope will acquit themselves well."

Ireland take on the Springboks on November 11 and come up against Fiji a week later before facing the Pumas in their final Test of the year in Dublin.

 

 

Ireland squad:

Forwards: Rory Best, Jack Conan, Ultan Dillane, Tadhg Furlong, Cian Healy, Iain Henderson, Rob Herring, Dave Kilcoyne, Dan Leavy, Jack McGrath, Sean O’Brien, Tommy O'Donnell, Peter O’Mahony, Andrew Porter, Rhys Ruddock, James Ryan, John Ryan, CJ Stander, Devin Toner, James Tracy, Kieran Treadwell.

Backs: Bundee Aki, Adam Byrne, Joey Carbery, Andrew Conway, Keith Earls, Chris Farrell, Robbie Henshaw, Dave Kearney, Rob Kearney, Ian Keatley, Kieran Marmion, Stuart McCloskey, Luke McGrath, Conor Murray, Jonathan Sexton, Jacob Stockdale, Darren Sweetnam.