Conan set for Ireland debut

The two sides meet at 5pm on Saturday as Ireland continue their build up to the World Cup in September.

Simon Zebo has been keen to emphasize his versatility as he looks to nail down a place in the 31-man squad.

The Ulster wing was replaced after 34 minutes of last weekend’s win over Wales in Cardiff, having spent nearly the entirety of last season sidelined with a troublesome issue in his right foot.

The 23-year-old Leinster back-row lined out for the Wolfhounds in January but wasn’t involved in the subsequent Six Nations as he continued his breakout year with the province.

Leinster’s Ian Madigan is also named at out-half with his provincial colleague Isaac Boss partnering him at scrum half.

Conan had played just once for Leinster before last season but made a big impact on his promotion to the senior squad and has a chance to stake a claim for a World Cup spot after backup back row Tommy O’Donnell was ruled out through injury this week.

Schmidt has also revealed that Marty Moore could have played this weekend if necessary – but they decided not to risk his recovery from injury.

Replacements: 16-Richardt Strauss, 17-Michael Bent, 18-Nathan White, 19-Paul O’Connell, 20-Jordi Murphy, 21-Eoin Reddan, 22-Paddy Jackson, 23-Dave Kearney. Vern Cotter has also opted for an experimental side in what will be Scotland’s first warm-up with his selection being dominated by the news that Kiwi-born Hugh Blake starts in the back row despite limited game time with Edinburgh.