Uncapped Simon Zebo gets Ireland nod for New Zealand tour

Paul O'Connell is hoping to recover from injury in time for the summer tour Photo: e_mulvey, via Flickr

Flying wing Simon Zebo is among three uncapped players included in Declan Kidney’s Ireland squad for the summer tour to New Zealand.

Zebo, 22, scored eight tries in the RaboDirect Pro12 this season and is joined by Munster team-mate Mike Sherry, who plays at hooker, and Ulster prop Declan Fitzpatrick.

In total, Kidney has named 29 players in his squad for the three-Test tour which gets underway on 9 June, leaving four spaces still available.

There is one of those spaces in the second row as Paul O’Connell continues his recovery from the knee injury that has ruled him out of the squad to face the Barbarians on May 29.

Brian O’Driscoll returns as captain after missing out on all of the Six Nations with Kidney to confirm one more back and three forwards, which may or may not include O’Connell.

Ireland squad for the three-Test summer tour to New Zealand:

Forwards: R Best (Ulster), S Cronin (Leinster), S Ferris (Ulster), D Fitzpatrick (Ulster), C Healy (Leinster), J Heaslip (Leinster), S O’Brien (Leinster), D O’Callaghan (Munster), P O’Mahony (Munster), M Ross (Leinster), D Ryan (Munster), M Sherry (Munster), D Tuohy (Ulster) – three more to be confirmed.

Backs: D Cave (Ulster), G D’Arcy (Leinster), K Earls (Munster), R Kearney (Leinster), F McFadden (Leinster), C Murray (Munster), B O’Driscoll (Leinster, captain), R O’Gara (Munster), E Reddan (Leinster), J Sexton (Leinster), A Trimble (Ulster), S Zebo (Munster) – one more to be confirmed.

© Sportsbeat 2012