The Lions David Wallace and Tyrone Howe have been left out of Ireland's squad for next month's tour of New Zealand.
Ireland's coach Eddie O'Sullivan has named Alan Quinlan in place of Wallace in the back row and the on-fire Justin Bishop and the uncapped Anthony Horgan in Howe's place on the wing. But the Lions may yet be reprieved, as the No8 Anthony Foley (shoulder) and wing Shane Horgan (ankle) may not be fit in time to travel.
Ireland warm up against a New Zealand Divisional XV in Timaru on June 8 before attempting to gain their first wins over the All Blacks in Tests at Dunedin on June 15 and Auckland on June 22.
The Springbok full-back Percy Montgomery will get a chance to impress prospective employers this month by linking up with the Barbarians on their three-match British tour. Montgomery has turned his back on a new South African contract to seek a club in the northern hemisphere.
Montgomery is one of three new additions to the Barbarians squad for matches against England, Wales and Scotland, along with the France wing Christophe Dominici and the All Black centre Pita Alatini.
The Newcastle coach Rob Andrew will name Jonny Wilkinson in his injury-hit line-up to face Gloucester at Kingsholm in the Zurich Championship quarter-final even though the England fly-half is perilously close to his 32-game limit for the season.
Andrew has been left with little alternative after seeing almost half his 30-man squad struck by injury. Va'aiga Tuigamala, Epi Taione, Iain Peel and Matt Thompson will certainly miss out and there are doubts over Pat Lam, Gary Armstrong and Tom May among others.
May, meanwhile, has been drafted into the England Sevens squad for the London leg of the IRB World Series at Twickenham next week.
"Tom has been around the A team and the fringes of the senior team and we thought the stronger the squad the better," said the England team coach Joe Lydon. "We know at this stage of the season it is important to have a large squad."
Ireland squad: Backs: Bishop (London Irish), Dempsey (Leinster), G Easterby (Llanelli), Henderson (Munster), A Horgan (Munster), Humphreys (Ulster), Kelly (Munster), Murphy (Leicester), O'Driscoll (Leinster), O'Gara (Munster), Stringer (Munster). Forwards: Byrne (Leinster), Corrigan (Leinster), S Easterby (Llanelli), Gleeson (Leinster), Hayes (Munster), Horan (Munster), Longwell (Ulster), Miller (Leinster), O'Connell (Munster), O'Kelly (Leinster), Quinlan (Munster), P Wallace (Leinster), Wood (Harlequins, capt). Foley (Munster) and S Horgan (Leinster) will fill the last two places if fit.
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