Ireland coach Andy Farrell has unveiled his matchday squad for the first Test against South Africa at Loftus Versfeld Stadium on Saturday (17:00).

Peter O’Mahony leads the team for their summer tour opener against the Springboks in Pretoria. Leinster’s Jamie Osborne will earn his debut cap, starting at fullback.

Osborne joins Calvin Nash and James Lowe in the back three, while Bundee Aki and Robbie Henshaw form the midfield pairing. Munster duo Craig Casey and Jack Crowley get the nod at scrum-half and fly-half, respectively.

The front row features the familiar trio of Andrew Porter, Dan Sheehan, and Tadhg Furlong. Joe McCarthy partners Tadhg Beirne in the second row, with O’Mahony captaining the side at blindside flanker. Josh van der Flier starts at openside flanker, and Caelan Doris rounds out the back row at number eight.

Farrell boasts a strong bench with Rónan Kelleher, Cian Healy, Finlay Bealham, James Ryan, and Ryan Baird providing forward depth. Conor Murray, Ciaran Frawley, and Garry Ringrose complete the 23-man matchday squad for Ireland.

While Ireland has won their last three encounters with the Springboks, including the Rugby World Cup meeting last year, South Africa ultimately emerged victorious in the tournament, defeating France after knocking Ireland out in the quarterfinals.

Ireland

15 Jamie Osborne, 14 Calvin Nash, 13 Robbie Henshaw, 12 Bundee Aki, 11 James Lowe, 10 Jack Crowley, 9 Craig Casey, 8 Caelan Doris, 7 Josh van der Flier, 6 Peter O’Mahony (C), 5 Tadhg Beirne, 4 Joe McCarthy, 3 Tadhg Furlong, 2 Dan Sheehan, 1 Andrew Porter

Substitutes

16 Ronan Kelleher, 17 Cian Healy, 18 Finlay Bealham, 19 James Ryan, 20 Ryan Baird, 21 Conor Murray, 22 Ciaran Frawley, 23 Garry Ringrose