Four Connacht players have been selected on the Ireland A team — which will soon be renamed the Ireland Wolfhounds.
Gavin Duffy and Fionn Carr were drafted into the squad following withdrawals and they go straight into a side which also includes John Muldoon and Keith Mathews.
Duffy is selected at full-back for Sunday’s clash with England Saxons at the Rec in Bath, with Carr on the right-wing and Muldoon at No.8.
Matthews, pictured with skipper Mick O’Driscoll and Paddy Wallace at the announcement of the renaming of the side as the Ireland Wolfhounds, is selected at inside centre for the side which is coached by Michael Bradley.
The Wolfhounds name was initially the brainchild of Irish rugby legends Karl Mullen and Jack Kyle, who created the name in 1956 as an invitational side to spread the rugby gospel among the towns and villages of Ireland.
The Wolfhounds played games all over Ireland and provincial towns such as Athlone, Westport and Waterford have all entertained the nomadic Wolfhounds team, who like the Barbarians had no home ground of their own.
The Wolfhounds also toured in Scotland, Wales, France and England during their lifetime as well as playing all four provinces as part of the IRFU Centenary celebrations. The final recorded appearance of the Wolfhounds was in 1987 when they played against Greystones RFC in Dr. Hickey Park to celebrate the club's golden Jubilee.
The debut of the Ireland Wolfhounds name will be on Friday, February 4, in Ravenhill when they will play Scotland A (kick off 7.30pm). Tickets are available from: www.ulsterrugby.com, the Ravenhill Ticket Office (Mon-Fri, 9am to 5pm,) the Ticket Hotline 028 90 493 222 Option 2 (Mon-Fri, 10am to 12noon) and SS Moores (6 Chichester Street Belfast, 90 322966).
Before that game against Scotland A, the final appearance of the Ireland A team under that identity is this weekend against the England Saxons in the Recreation Ground (kick off 2pm, Sky Sports).

Ireland A team v England Saxons:
15 - Gavin Duffy (Galwegians/Connacht)
14 - Fionn Carr (Galwegians/Connacht)
13 - Fergus McFadden (Old Belvedere/Leinster)
12 - Keith Matthews (Buccaneers/Connacht)
11 - Ian Dowling (Shannon/Munster)
10 - Paddy Wallace (Ballymena/Ulster)
9 - Peter Stringer (Shannon/Munster)
1 - Marcus Horan (Shannon/Munster)
2 - Rory Best (Banbridge/Ulster)
3 - Tony Buckley (Shannon/Munster)
4 - Mick O'Driscoll (Cork Constitution/Munster) Captain
5 - Devin Toner (Lansdowne/Leinster)
6 - Shane Jennings (St.Mary's College/Leinster)
7 - Sean O'Brien (Clontarf/Leinster)
8 - John Muldoon (Galwegians/Connacht)

Replacements:
16 - John Fogarty (De La Salle Palmerston/Leinster)
17 - Mike Ross (Clontarf/Leinster)
18- Ryan Caldwell (Dungannon/Ulster)
19 - Niall Ronan (Shannon/Munster)
20 - Isaac Boss (Ballymena/Ulster)
21 - Ian Humphries (Ballymena/Ulster)
22 - Darren Cave (Belfast Harlequins/Ulster)