IRELAND PLAYED 11 Test matches in 2025, across which 12 new caps were handed out.
Nine of those came across the more developmental two-game summer tour of Georgia and Portugal, with two new caps awarded in the November window. Leinster prop Jack Boyle was the sole new cap across Ireland’s 2025 Six Nations campaign.
Connacht led with way with five new caps, Munster were next with four, while Leinster had three players wearing the Ireland shirt for the first time.
Jack Boyle (debut v Wales, Feb 2025)
Ireland’s first new cap of 2025 debuted off the bench away to Wales in the third round of the Six Nations and was called in as a replacement again on the final weekend in Rome. Boyle was Ireland’s starting loosehead on the summer to Georgia and Portugal but his progress then stalled as Paddy McCarthy jumped up the queue – more on him later.
Tommy O’Brien (v Georgia, July)
Arguably the standout of Ireland’s new caps over the year. Having been blighted by injuries, Leinster back O’Brien finally made it to the Test stage at the age of 27. Two tries on debut in Georgia were followed by two more in Portugal a week later.
Tommy O'Brien had an excellent 2025. Gary Carr / INPHO
Gary Carr / INPHO / INPHO
More impressive was O’Brien’s return in December. The tries slowed down – notching one v Japan – but across his four starts he looked at home at international level. With Connacht’s Mack Hansen sidelined for another extended period, O’Brien will hold down that right wing spot in the 2026 Six Nations if he continues to deliver for Leinster.
Darragh Murray (v Georgia, July)
Started both of Ireland’s summer Tests having featured for Ireland A against England A in February. The 6ft 7in Connacht lock has remained on Farrell’s radar and was on Ireland A duty against Spain in November, and the following week the 24-year-old was called back into the senior squad ahead of the third November Test with Australia.
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Michael Milne (v Georgia, July)
Milne’s move from Leinster to Munster brought rewards at international level. The 26-year-old came off the bench in both summer Tests and started for Ireland A in Spain in November. The door to the senior squad isn’t closed, but at the moment, Leinster pair Paddy McCarthy and Jack Boyle are further up the loosehead queue, where Andrew Porter remains the man to move.
Jack Aungier (v Georgia, July)
Another prop who tasted Test rugby for the first time in 2025, Aungier played 12 minutes off the bench in Georgia, having started February’s Ireland A game in Bristol and also training with the senior squad during that period.
The Connacht tighthead, currently sidelined with an elbow injury, would have hoped to build on those experiences in November but was looking in from the outside, playing with the Barbarians against an All Blacks XV.
Tom Ahern (v Georgia, July)
The big Waterford man has long been marked out as a potential Ireland international and after a couple of unfortunately-timed injuries, he finally hit the milestone in Georgia, coming off the bench before starting in Portugal.
Tom Ahern and Alex Kendellen were both capped in the summer. Ben Brady / INPHO
Ben Brady / INPHO / INPHO
Injuries were a problem again across the first half of this season, with the forward playing just threegames for Munster between September and November. He’s putting together a stronger run now, featuring five times over the last month as he continues to switch between the second and back rows. That versatility has it’s benefits, but nailing down one position might help boost his international prospects.
Ben Murphy (v Georgia, July)
A breakthrough season for the Connacht scrum-half, who started climbing the ladder as soon as he joined from Leinster in the summer of 2024. Murphy, son of Ulster head coach Richie, played 11 games for Leinster, starting two, across 2024/25. In his first year in Galway he started 14 of 16.
The 24-year-old was included in the Ireland summer squad and might have even hoped for more involvement, but was second in the queue to tour captain Craig Casey. The Munster man started both games with Murphy playing 10 and then 19 minutes off the bench. It was a platform to build on, and Murphy did that by starting for Ireland A in Spain.
Shayne Bolton (v Portugal, July)
The 25-year-old Connacht wing is another player to have benefitted from the Ireland A programme. Bolton played the full 80 and scored a try v England A in February and trained with the senior squad, before being brought in for another look on the summer tour, starting and scoring two tries v Portugal.
Bolton, born in Pretoria, was brought to Chicago and trained with Andy Farrell’s squad for two weeks in November and was back on Ireland A duty later that month, scoring another try in the win in Spain. A powerful, pacey winger, the 6″2′ Bolton will hope to push on with more opportunites in 2026.
Alex Kendellen (v Portugal, July)
The Cork man has been logging plenty of minutes with Munster over recent seasons and was rewarded with an Ireland call, playing the full 80 and scoring a try in the turkey shoot against Portugal. That should have been a springboard to launch into the new season but ankle surgery derailed his progress, with Kendellen playing just four timesfor Munster so far.
The timing must be frustrating. Ireland don’t have a wealth of options at openside, where the versatile Kendellen plays most of his rugby, and he’ll hope to reinforce his case as an option for Farrell when he gets fully up and running again.
Hugh Gavin (v Portugal, July)
There’s been plenty of excitement around Gavin’s potential since his days with the Ireland U20s – where he was a starting winger in 2023 and starting centre in 2024. Still only 21 (he turns 22 later this month), the Connacht player has a few areas to polish up but he’s certainly a player who can be fixture in Ireland squads over the coming years.
Connacht's Hugh Gavin debuted in Portugal. Ben Brady / INPHO
Ben Brady / INPHO / INPHO
Last year was his first full season of senior rugby, and it will be interesting to watch how the powerful outside centre develops now that he’s being coached by Stuart Lancaster.
Paddy McCarthy (v New Zealand, November)
A player who looks to have a big future in both the blue of Leinster and the green of Ireland, and a loosehead who can ease the dependance on Andrew Porter toward the 2027 World Cup.
McCarthy, 22, was part of the summer tour but eyebrows were raised when he didn’t get capped. His fortunes turned in November, featuring in all four games. The Leinster prop came off the bench against New Zealand, Japan and South Africa, and started the third game against Australia. While still a little raw, McCarthy offers aggression and physicality and is quickly making up for lost time, with injuries limiting him to just three appearances across the entire 2024/25 season – a total of 73 minutes as a replacement for Leinster (twice) and Ireland A. He’s on 404 minutes so far this season.
Tom Farrell (v Japan, November)
One of the stories of the season, Farrell is proof it’s never too late to reach the highest stage. The 32-year-old won two caps in November, becoming the oldest Ireland debutant in 10 years (Nathan White, 2015). The Dubliner played the full 80 on debut against Japan before getting 16 minutes off the bench against the Springboks.
The centre was a late addition to Andy Farrell’s November squad but his inclusion was a welcome one, capping an incredible couple of seasons. The former Connacht man joined Munster in the summer of 2024 having been let go out west, and was close to moving abroad before Munster came knocking. He was the province’s player of the season for the 2024/25 campaign, playing every single game. It will be hard to win more Test caps in that competitive midfield battle, but the Munster man – who trained with Joe Schmidt’s Ireland back in 2019 – has shown Farrell he be a different option.
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The 12 players who won their first caps for Ireland in 2025
IRELAND PLAYED 11 Test matches in 2025, across which 12 new caps were handed out.
Nine of those came across the more developmental two-game summer tour of Georgia and Portugal, with two new caps awarded in the November window. Leinster prop Jack Boyle was the sole new cap across Ireland’s 2025 Six Nations campaign.
Connacht led with way with five new caps, Munster were next with four, while Leinster had three players wearing the Ireland shirt for the first time.
Jack Boyle (debut v Wales, Feb 2025)
Ireland’s first new cap of 2025 debuted off the bench away to Wales in the third round of the Six Nations and was called in as a replacement again on the final weekend in Rome. Boyle was Ireland’s starting loosehead on the summer to Georgia and Portugal but his progress then stalled as Paddy McCarthy jumped up the queue – more on him later.
Tommy O’Brien (v Georgia, July)
Arguably the standout of Ireland’s new caps over the year. Having been blighted by injuries, Leinster back O’Brien finally made it to the Test stage at the age of 27. Two tries on debut in Georgia were followed by two more in Portugal a week later.
More impressive was O’Brien’s return in December. The tries slowed down – notching one v Japan – but across his four starts he looked at home at international level. With Connacht’s Mack Hansen sidelined for another extended period, O’Brien will hold down that right wing spot in the 2026 Six Nations if he continues to deliver for Leinster.
Darragh Murray (v Georgia, July)
Started both of Ireland’s summer Tests having featured for Ireland A against England A in February. The 6ft 7in Connacht lock has remained on Farrell’s radar and was on Ireland A duty against Spain in November, and the following week the 24-year-old was called back into the senior squad ahead of the third November Test with Australia.
Michael Milne (v Georgia, July)
Milne’s move from Leinster to Munster brought rewards at international level. The 26-year-old came off the bench in both summer Tests and started for Ireland A in Spain in November. The door to the senior squad isn’t closed, but at the moment, Leinster pair Paddy McCarthy and Jack Boyle are further up the loosehead queue, where Andrew Porter remains the man to move.
Jack Aungier (v Georgia, July)
Another prop who tasted Test rugby for the first time in 2025, Aungier played 12 minutes off the bench in Georgia, having started February’s Ireland A game in Bristol and also training with the senior squad during that period.
The Connacht tighthead, currently sidelined with an elbow injury, would have hoped to build on those experiences in November but was looking in from the outside, playing with the Barbarians against an All Blacks XV.
Tom Ahern (v Georgia, July)
The big Waterford man has long been marked out as a potential Ireland international and after a couple of unfortunately-timed injuries, he finally hit the milestone in Georgia, coming off the bench before starting in Portugal.
Injuries were a problem again across the first half of this season, with the forward playing just three games for Munster between September and November. He’s putting together a stronger run now, featuring five times over the last month as he continues to switch between the second and back rows. That versatility has it’s benefits, but nailing down one position might help boost his international prospects.
Ben Murphy (v Georgia, July)
A breakthrough season for the Connacht scrum-half, who started climbing the ladder as soon as he joined from Leinster in the summer of 2024. Murphy, son of Ulster head coach Richie, played 11 games for Leinster, starting two, across 2024/25. In his first year in Galway he started 14 of 16.
The 24-year-old was included in the Ireland summer squad and might have even hoped for more involvement, but was second in the queue to tour captain Craig Casey. The Munster man started both games with Murphy playing 10 and then 19 minutes off the bench. It was a platform to build on, and Murphy did that by starting for Ireland A in Spain.
Shayne Bolton (v Portugal, July)
The 25-year-old Connacht wing is another player to have benefitted from the Ireland A programme. Bolton played the full 80 and scored a try v England A in February and trained with the senior squad, before being brought in for another look on the summer tour, starting and scoring two tries v Portugal.
Bolton, born in Pretoria, was brought to Chicago and trained with Andy Farrell’s squad for two weeks in November and was back on Ireland A duty later that month, scoring another try in the win in Spain. A powerful, pacey winger, the 6″2′ Bolton will hope to push on with more opportunites in 2026.
Alex Kendellen (v Portugal, July)
The Cork man has been logging plenty of minutes with Munster over recent seasons and was rewarded with an Ireland call, playing the full 80 and scoring a try in the turkey shoot against Portugal. That should have been a springboard to launch into the new season but ankle surgery derailed his progress, with Kendellen playing just four times for Munster so far.
The timing must be frustrating. Ireland don’t have a wealth of options at openside, where the versatile Kendellen plays most of his rugby, and he’ll hope to reinforce his case as an option for Farrell when he gets fully up and running again.
Hugh Gavin (v Portugal, July)
There’s been plenty of excitement around Gavin’s potential since his days with the Ireland U20s – where he was a starting winger in 2023 and starting centre in 2024. Still only 21 (he turns 22 later this month), the Connacht player has a few areas to polish up but he’s certainly a player who can be fixture in Ireland squads over the coming years.
Last year was his first full season of senior rugby, and it will be interesting to watch how the powerful outside centre develops now that he’s being coached by Stuart Lancaster.
Paddy McCarthy (v New Zealand, November)
A player who looks to have a big future in both the blue of Leinster and the green of Ireland, and a loosehead who can ease the dependance on Andrew Porter toward the 2027 World Cup.
McCarthy, 22, was part of the summer tour but eyebrows were raised when he didn’t get capped. His fortunes turned in November, featuring in all four games. The Leinster prop came off the bench against New Zealand, Japan and South Africa, and started the third game against Australia. While still a little raw, McCarthy offers aggression and physicality and is quickly making up for lost time, with injuries limiting him to just three appearances across the entire 2024/25 season – a total of 73 minutes as a replacement for Leinster (twice) and Ireland A. He’s on 404 minutes so far this season.
Tom Farrell (v Japan, November)
One of the stories of the season, Farrell is proof it’s never too late to reach the highest stage. The 32-year-old won two caps in November, becoming the oldest Ireland debutant in 10 years (Nathan White, 2015). The Dubliner played the full 80 on debut against Japan before getting 16 minutes off the bench against the Springboks.
The centre was a late addition to Andy Farrell’s November squad but his inclusion was a welcome one, capping an incredible couple of seasons. The former Connacht man joined Munster in the summer of 2024 having been let go out west, and was close to moving abroad before Munster came knocking. He was the province’s player of the season for the 2024/25 campaign, playing every single game. It will be hard to win more Test caps in that competitive midfield battle, but the Munster man – who trained with Joe Schmidt’s Ireland back in 2019 – has shown Farrell he be a different option.
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