George Hendy has been named in the England A matchday squad to take on Ireland XV this Friday (kick-off: 7.15pm) at Thomond Park.
The Northampton Saints back – whose new contract was announced on Monday – has been picked amongst the replacements by head coach Mark Mapletoft for the encounter in Limerick.
Hendy’s selection follows six Saints players being picked in the England senior matchday squad for their Guinness Men’s Six Nations opener against Wales on Saturday.
Friday’s fixture is England A’s first run out since the 28-12 win over Ireland A at Ashton Gate in February 2025 – a match which Hendy also featured in from the bench.
Mapletoft said: “We have high expectations for this group. Every player has the talent to perform at their best and we’re looking forward to the challenge Friday. The mix of experience and emerging skill in this squad makes it a genuinely exciting team to work with. They will gel quickly, push each other, and learn from one another as we progress, which is exactly what we want from an England A side.”
The fixture will be broadcast live on Premier Sports, with coverage from Thomond Park starting at 7pm GMT.
England Men’s A matchday squad to face Ireland XV
15 Joe Carpenter (Sale Sharks, West Park Leeds RUFC, 1 cap)
14 Cadan Murley (Harlequins, Salisbury RFC, 3 caps)
13 Luke Northmore (Harlequins, Tavistock RFC, 2 caps)
12 Orlando Bailey (Leicester Tigers, Dorchester RFC, uncapped)
11 Ollie Hassell-Collins (Leicester Tigers, Newbury RFC, 2 caps)
10 Billy Searle (Leicester Tigers, Oakhampton RFC, uncapped)
9 Harry Randall (Bristol Bears, Tycroes RFC, 14 caps)
1 Tarek Haffar (Leicester Tigers, Grasshoppers RFC, uncapped)
2 Jamie Blamire (Leicester Tigers, Workington RFC, 7 caps)
3 George Kloska (Bristol Bears, St. Brendan’s RFC, uncapped)
4 Ben Bamber (Sale Sharks, Langworthy Reds ARLFC, uncapped)
5 Joe Batley (Bristol Bears, Gosport and Fareham RFC, uncapped)
6 Ethan Roots (C) (Exeter Chiefs, East Coast Bays RFC, 4 caps)
7 Jack Kenningham (Harlequins, Richmond RFC, uncapped)
8 Alex Dombrandt (Harlequins, Warlingham RFC, 23 caps)
Replacements:
16 Kepueli Tuipulotu (Bath Rugby, Cwmbran RFC, uncapped)
17 Archie Van Der Flier (Leicester Tigers, Nottingham Rugby, uncapped)
18 Afolabi Fasogbon (Gloucester Rugby, Saracens Amateur RFC, uncapped)
19 Hugh Tizard (Saracens, Guildfordians RFC, uncapped)
20 Fitz Harding (Bristol Bears, Beaconsfield RFC, uncapped)
21 Raffi Quirke (Sale Sharks, Broughton Park RFC, 2 caps)
22 Charlie Atkinson (Gloucester Rugby, Oxford RFC, 1 cap)
23 George Hendy (Northampton Saints, Shipston-on-Stour RFC, uncapped)