Craig Casey will captain an Ireland squad significantly altered by the absence of 16 players on British and Irish Lions duty.
Ireland captain Craig Casey has expressed the squad’s eagerness to “make it a special week” for the debutants as they prepare to face Georgia on Saturday.
The 26-year-old scrum-half will lead Ireland in this summer’s Test matches against Georgia and Portugal, with a number of key players unavailable due to Lions commitments.
Interim Ireland head coach Paul O’Connell has named Leinster wing Tommy O’Brien and Connacht second row Darragh Murray to make their international debuts in the match at the Mikheil Meshki Stadium (18:00 BST).
Additionally, props Michael Milne and Jack Aungier, alongside Munster’s Tom Ahern and Connacht scrum-half Ben Murphy, are in contention to earn their first senior international caps from the bench.
“It’s unbelievable for them to earn their first caps and it’s a huge opportunity for all of us. It’s a massive privilege for us to put on the Irish jersey at any stage,” Casey stated in a pre-match media interview provided by the Irish Rugby Football Union [IRFU].
“It’s up to us to lay down a marker and make it a special week for them.”
The Munster player further acknowledged the “special honour” of captaining the team, given the esteemed history of those who have previously held the role.
“The players that I’m following, it’s class to be in that kind of recognition with those type of players,” he commented.
“I’m delighted with it. It’ll be a special day for my family and everyone who has put a lot of work into me.”
Casey is anticipating a significant physical challenge from Georgia, who currently hold 11th position in the world rankings.
“We’re expecting them to be up the walls with physicality and bring their game to us. They’ve got a back row who are going to contest every breakdown.
“I think if we’re on our breakdown we’ll have a good day, we’ll have to do a lot of work there.
“Obviously their forwards set the platform for them but they have a high-quality back-line. They have some really big threats.
“Their number 15, Davit Niniashvili, is a high-class player. He has shown it in the Top 14 and he’s shown it in Europe. I imagine their fans are going to make it a special occasion for them, they’ll be delighted to have Ireland over and try and knock us off.”