Ireland relishing the pressure v Maoris - Farrell

Ireland head coach Andy Farrell says tomorrow's first tour game against the Maori All Blacks will be the biggest game some of his squad have every played, having named five uncapped players for the clash in Hamilton.

Jimmy O'Brien, Ciarán Frawley, Joe McCarthy, Jeremy Loughman and Cian Prendergast will all make their first senior appearances in an Ireland shirt tomorrow morning (8.05am kick-off), with Bundee Aki captaining an inexperienced starting XV at FMG Stadium, the home of Super Rugby's Chiefs.

Although Test caps aren't awarded for either of the tour games against the Maori All Blacks, head coach Andy Farrell says the game will be a huge step for those in the wider squad, as they try to break their way into contention for a spot at next year's World Cup.

"It's huge," Farrell said. "It’s everything to these players taking the field on Wednesday. It’s the biggest game of their lives.

"I know there’s a three-game series coming up, but these two Maori games for us, and what we’re trying to build, and how we’re trying to put people under pressure and see how they come through that is just as important."

With the first Test against New Zealand just four days away, both sides have had to deal with disjoined preparations, with Will Jordan this morning confirmed as the sixth member of the All Blacks camp to test positive for Covid-19, while out-half Richie Mo'unga also sat out raining due to a stomach bug.

While Ireland only have one Covid case to deal with in Mack Hansen, they have had factor with injuries, with Iain Henderson ruled out of the tour due to a knee injury, while an issue with Rob Herring has seen Niall Scannell flown in to join the squad and will be among the replacements tomorrow.

Ireland are also training in two