Ireland Nations Championship squad adds uncapped Ulster pair before Springboks Test

Andy Farrell has picked two Ulster players who have never been capped, Jamie Benson and James McNabney, for a November block that includes Ireland hosting the Springboks in Dublin.

The Ireland head coach named a 36-man group on Wednesday 21 October for the next block of Nations Championship matches. Hooker Dan Sheehan will captain Ireland again while regular skipper Caelan Doris is unavailable.

"It's always great to give people a chance for the first time," Farrell said.

Two new faces from Ulster

Benson moved to Ulster from Harlequins in the off-season. He played for England at Under-20 level and is eligible for Ireland through his mother, who was born in Belfast.

McNabney, a 23-year-old back-rower, has already spent time in Ireland training squads. He missed all of the 2025/26 season with an ACL injury.

Familiar names return

The squad also brings back three players who have not appeared for Ireland since they faced South Africa in Dublin in November 2025: Mack Hansen, Ryan Baird and Andrew Porter. Hansen needed surgery on his foot but has played for Connacht since. Baird, 27, is over a leg fracture, and Porter, 30, had been sidelined by calf trouble.

Scrum-half Jamison Gibson-Park has been included even though a groin injury has kept him out of Leinster's matches so far this season. The injury list is still long: Jack Conan, Jack Crowley, Harry Byrne and Bryn Ward are among those missing.

Road to the Springboks

Ireland have two wins from three in the competition so far. They beat Australia and Japan before New Zealand beat them 40-21 at Eden Park.

Their November run starts against Argentina at the Aviva Stadium on Friday 6 November, and Fiji visit Dublin on Saturday 14 November. The Springboks then come to the Aviva Stadium on Saturday 21 November, and the finals weekend at the Allianz Stadium in London follows a week later.

"The box office games, those are the type of games that we want to play in. We want to keep on testing ourselves," Farrell said.