Ireland captain Caelan Doris is poised to make his return from a six-month injury lay-off as a replacement in Saturday’s showdown with New Zealand in Chicago.
Leinster back-rower Doris has not played since suffering a shoulder issue during his province’s defeat by Northampton in the Investec Champions Cup semi-finals on May 3.
The 27-year-old, who underwent surgery and missed the British and Irish Lions’ tour of Australia, has been in full training following Ireland’s arrival in the United States last week.
With Doris on the bench, Jack Conan will start at number eight to make his first appearance since the Lions series, while hooker Dan Sheehan will skipper the side at Soldier Field.
Uncapped Leinster prop Paddy McCarthy – the 22-year-old younger brother of injured lock Joe McCarthy – is also among the replacements.
Head coach Andy Farrell is set to take charge of the team for the first in almost a year following his sabbatical with the Lions.
Jack Crowley has been selected ahead of Sam Prendergast at fly-half, while Tommy O’Brien and Jamie Osborne will start at right wing and full-back respectively after injuries ruled out Mack Hansen and Hugo Keenan.
O’Brien, 27, made his international debut during the summer, scoring two tries in the 34-5 win over Georgia before repeating the feat a week later in a 106-7 rout of Portugal.
Following the retirement of Peter O’Mahony, Ryan Baird starts at blindside flanker, joining Conan and Josh van der Flier in the back row.
Stand-in skipper Sheehan will pack down between props Andrew Porter and Tadhg Furlong, ahead of James Ryan and Tadhg Beirne in the second row.
Scrum-half Jamison Gibson-Park will partner Crowley, with Stuart McCloskey and Garry Ringrose in midfield and James Lowe on the left wing.
Hooker Ronan Kelleher, prop Finlay Bealham, lock Iain Henderson, scrum-half Craig Casey and centre Bundee Aki join Doris, Prendergast and Test newcomer McCarthy on the bench.
Ireland memorably recorded a first victory over the All Blacks – winning 40-29 – when the sides previously met in Chicago, in 2016.
They have beaten New Zealand a further four times since then, including a historic 2-1 tour success in 2022, but were defeated in the quarter-finals of the 2023 Rugby World Cup and last November in Dublin.
Head coach Farrell said: “The clashes with New Zealand over the years have been fantastic occasions and we’re expecting more of the same on Saturday.
“The historic nature of this game is something we are embracing and there’s great excitement in the squad, not least for Paddy McCarthy who is set to make his international debut this weekend.
“Paddy has made a great start to the season and his selection is testament to his impressive form.”
Following the autumn opener, Ireland host Japan, Australia and world champions South Africa on the following three Saturdays at the Aviva Stadium.
— Irish Rugby (@IrishRugby) October 30, 2025
Ireland team to play New Zealand
Forwards: 1 Andrew Porter (Leinster), 2 Dan Sheehan (Captain, Leinster), 3 Tadhg Furlong (Leinster), 4 James Ryan (Leinster), 5 Tadhg Beirne (Munster), 6 Ryan Baird (Leinster), 7 Josh van der Flier (Leinster), 8 Jack Conan (Leinster)
Backs: 9 Jamison Gibson-Park (Leinster), 10 Jack Crowley (Munster), 11 James Lowe (Leinster), 12 Stuart McCloskey (Ulster), 13 Garry Ringrose (Leinster), 14 Tommy O’Brien (Leinster), 15 Jamie Osborne (Leinster)
Replacements: 16 Ronan Kelleher (Leinster), 17 Paddy McCarthy (Leinster)*, 18 Finlay Bealham (Connacht), 19 Iain Henderson (Ulster), 20 Caelan Doris (Leinster), 21 Craig Casey (Munster), 22 Sam Prendergast (Leinster), 23 Bundee Aki (Connacht)
* Denotes uncapped player