England A team named for clash with Ireland XV at Thomond Park - Ruck
England A Ireland Rugby News

England A team named for clash with Ireland XV at Thomond Park

3 February 2026
Tom Sansom

England Men’s A head coach Mark Mapletoft has selected his matchday squad for Friday’s fixture against Ireland XV. The squad will travel to the home of Munster Rugby, Thomond Park in Limerick this Friday (19:15 kick-off). Following their last victory in Spain, the squad are looking forward to meeting Ireland’s second side after last February’s 28-12 victory at Ashton Gate.

Exeter Chiefs’ Ethan Roots has been named Mapletoft’s captain for the upcoming game and leads the team for the second time. Cadan Murley, Jack Kenningham, Archie van der Flier and Hugh Tizard are now named in the squad for Friday’s fixture, adding further strength and quality across the group.

Kenningham and Murley joined the senior squad for last week’s training block in Girona, providing them with valuable experience and insight that they can now bring into the A’s.

Ten squad members have senior caps and 17 progressed through England’s U18 or U20 pathways, making this group a strong reflection of the national development programme. With players such as Henry Randall (14 caps) and Jamie Blamire (7caps) leading with senior experience, this squad has a real mix of talented players.

Mapletoft, England Men’s A head coach, 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.

England Men’s A matchday squad to face Ireland XV (includes club and Senior Caps.)

15 Joe Carpenter (Sale Sharks, 1 cap)

14 Cadan Murley (Harlequins, 3 caps)

13 Luke Northmore (Harlequins, 2 caps)

12 Orlando Bailey (Leicester Tigers, uncapped)

11 Ollie Hassell-Collins (Leicester Tigers, 2 caps)

10 Billy Searle (Leicester Tigers, uncapped)

9 Harry Randall (Bristol Bears, 14 caps)

1 Tarek Haffar (Leicester Tigers, uncapped)

2 Jamie Blamire (Leicester Tigers, 7 caps)

3 George Kloska (Bristol Bears, uncapped)

4 Ben Bamber (Sale Sharks, uncapped)

5 Joe Batley (Bristol Bears, uncapped)

6 Ethan Roots (C) (Exeter Chiefs, 4 caps)

7 Jack Kenningham (Harlequins, uncapped)

8 Alex Dombrandt (Harlequins, 23 caps)

Replacements

16 Kepueli Tuipulotu (Bath Rugby, uncapped)

17 Archie Van Der Flier (Leicester Tigers, uncapped)

18 Afolabi Fasogbon (Gloucester Rugby, uncapped)

19 Hugh Tizard (Saracens, uncapped)

20 Fitz Harding (Bristol Bears, uncapped)

21 Raffi Quirke (Sale Sharks, 2 caps)

22 Charlie Atkinson (Gloucester Rugby, 1 cap)

23 George Hendy (Northampton Saints, uncapped)

LATEST ENGLAND RUGBY NEWS