Ronan Drafted Into Ireland Tour Squad

Munster flanker Niall Ronan has been drafted into the Ireland squad to tour New Zealand and Australia, taking the place of injured Leinster flanker Kevin McLaughlin.

Kevin McLaughlin injured his knee while playing for Leinster in the Magners League grand final on Saturday and will undergo further tests and exploratory surgery this week to ascertain the extent of the injury.

Niall Ronan, who won the first of his two caps last year on the summer tour to Canada and the USA, has joined up with the rest of the Ireland squad in Limerick as they prepare for the first game of the tour against the Barbarians on Friday night at Thomond Park.

Shane Jennings, who was also forced off during the Magners League grand final, has had his injured ankle scanned.

The injury is not as serious as first feared and he will be joining the squad on Tuesday with the remaining players who were involved in finals at the weekend.

IRELAND Squad (2010 Summer Tour, June 4-June 26):

Backs (15) –

Tommy Bowe (Ospreys)
Gordon D’Arcy (Lansdowne/Leinster)
Keith Earls (Young Munster/Munster)
Shane Horgan (Boyne/Leinster)
Rob Kearney (UCD/Leinster)
Fergus McFadden (Old Belvedere/Leinster)*
Geordan Murphy (Leicester Tigers)
Brian O’Driscoll (UCD/Leinster)
Ronan O’Gara (Cork Constitution/Munster)
Tomas O’Leary (Dolphin/Munster)
Eoin Reddan (Lansdowne/Leinster)
Jonathan Sexton (St. Mary’s College/Leinster)
Peter Stringer (Shannon/Munster)
Andrew Trimble (Ballymena/Ulster)
Paddy Wallace (Ballymena/Ulster)

Forwards (18) –

Tony Buckley (Shannon/Munster)
Tom Court (Malone/Ulster)
Sean Cronin (Buccaneers/Connacht)
Jerry Flannery (Shannon/Munster)
John Fogarty (De La Salle Palmerston/Leinster)*
John Hayes (Bruff/Munster)
Cian Healy (Clontarf/Leinster)
Jamie Heaslip (Naas/Leinster)
Chris Henry (Ballymena/Ulster)*
Marcus Horan (Shannon/Munster)
Shane Jennings (St. Mary’s College/Leinster)
John Muldoon (Galwegians/Connacht)
Donncha O’Callaghan (Cork Constitution/Munster)
Mick O’Driscoll (Cork Constitution/Munster)
Ed O’Donoghue (Ballynahinch/Ulster)*
Niall Ronan (Shannon/Munster)
Dan Tuohy (Ballymena/Ulster)*
David Wallace (Garryowen/Munster)

* Denotes uncapped player

Summer Tour Match Schedule:

Friday, June 4: Barbarians v Ireland XV, Thomond Park, 7.45pm

Saturday, June 12: New Zealand v Ireland, Yarrow Stadium, New Plymouth, 7.35pm (8.35am Irish time)

Friday, June 18: New Zealand Maori v Ireland XV, International Stadium, Rotorua, 7.35pm (8.35am Irish time)

Saturday, June 26: Australia v Ireland, Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane, 8pm (11am Irish time)