Horgan to skipper A side as Flannery trains

Jerry Flannery looks set to be named in the Ireland team to face Australia when Declan Kidney reveals his team-sheet tomorrow. The Munster hooker trained fully with the rest of the squad this afternoon as he continues his recovery from a calf injury and he’ll start on Sunday, provided he suffers no adverse reaction overnight. Meanwhile, Leinster’s Shane Horgan has been named as captain of the Ireland A team to face Tonga on Friday night. The team also includes experienced internationals such as Peter Stringer and Neil Best, but coach Michael Bradley will also try-out the untried centre-pairing of Darren Cave and Fergus McFadden at Ravenhill. Horgan, a veteran of 64 caps, is joined in the back-three by Gavin Duffy and Andrew Trimble. A vacancy has been left at hooker as Ireland’s senior squad wait for news on Flannery’s injury. Ireland A Team: G Duffy (Connacht); S Horgan (Leinster, capt), D Cave (Ulster), F McFadden (Leinster), A Trimble (Ulster); I Humphreys (Ulster), P Stringer (Munster); B Wilkinson (Connacht), A.N. Other, M Ross (Leinster), D Toner (Leinster), D Ryan (Munster), S O’Brien (Leinster), N Best (Northampton), C Henry (Ulster). Replacements: D Fogarty (Munster), B Young (Ulster), D Tuohy (Ulster), K McLaughlin (Leinster), I Boss (Ulster), I Keatley (Connacht), J Murphy (Leicester).