ULSTER'S Jacob Stockdale will end his two-year international exile when Ireland take on Italy in Dublin tomorrow (8pm) as the build-up to next month's World Cup intensifies.
Stockdale has not featured at Test level since a try-scoring performance against Japan in July 2021, but he takes his place on the left wing tomorrow.
Head coach Andy Farrell has named an experimental XV for the first of the Six Nations champions' three warm-up matches.
Jack Crowley has been given the chance to stake his claim for the fly-half role. With skipper Jonny Sexton suspended, the in-form 23-year-old is preferred to Ross Byrne and the uncapped Ciaran Frawley. Ulster lock Iain Henderson takes on captaincy duties.
Crowley, who helped Munster win the United Rugby Championship in May, will be partnered by provincial team-mate Craig Casey in the half-back positions on the occasion of his fourth cap, while veteran Keith Earls wins his first cap since last summer's series success in New Zealand on the right.
Frawley joins fellow potential debutants Tom Stewart and Calvin Nash among the replacements.
Centre Robbie Henshaw and back-rowers Caelan Doris and Ryan Baird are the only players retained from the XV which began Ireland's Grand Slam-clinching win over England in March.
The matchday squad is peppered with fringe players hoping to force their way into Farrell's final 33-man selection for France.
Lock Joe McCarthy makes his first international start, joining Henderson in the second row, with prop Dave Kilcoyne packing down alongside Ulster pair Rob Herring and Tom O'Toole.
Jack Conan will begin at number eight for only the third time since the 2022 Six Nations, in between fellow Leinster men Doris and Baird.
Stuart McCloskey has been picked at inside centre, with Jimmy O'Brien selected at full-back as he seeks to provide competition for undisputed first choice Hugo Keenan.
Sexton, who will also miss the upcoming games against England and Samoa, was the sole member of Ireland's 42-man squad unavailable for the Aviva Stadium encounter.
Crowley's only previous start came in last autumn's win over Australia when he stepped in at the 11th hour following the late withdrawal of Ireland's 38-year-old skipper.
Byrne was the favoured deputy to Leinster team-mate Sexton during the Six Nations but must wait for his first action of the summer.
Experienced props Cian Healy and Tadhg Furlong, Munster lock Tadhg Beirne and rookie Connacht pair Cian Prendergast and Caolin Blade complete the bench.
Italy have named England-born debutants Paolo Odogwu and Dino Lamb in their starting XV.
Former Sale and Wasps player Odogwu, who trained with his native country during Eddie Jones' reign without being capped, has been selected on the right wing.
Harlequins' ex-England U20 international Lamb will line up in the second row.
Azzurri head coach Kieran Crowley has picked a strong side for the Summer Nations Series clash, making nine personnel changes to the team which began last weekend's 25-13 loss to Scotland at Murrayfield.
Paolo Garbisi returns at fly-half, pushing Tommaso Allan to full-back, and will partner recalled Gloucester scrum-half Stephen Varney.
Saracens prop Marco Riccioni is among the other players to come in, joining Giacomo Nicotera and Danilo Fischetti in a new front row, while Benetton lock Federico Ruzza continues as captain.
"The match against Ireland will be a new, important test in preparation for the World Cup," Crowley told the Italian Rugby Federation's website.
"Other players will have the chance to play a top-level international Test match facing the world's first-ranked team. The focus will be on our performance."
Ireland J O'Brien (Leinster); K Earls (Munster), R Henshaw (Leinster), S McCloskey (Ulster), J Stockdale (Ulster); J Crowley (Munster), C Casey (Munster); D Kilcoyne (Munster), R Herring (Ulster), T O'Toole (Ulster), I Henderson (Ulster, captain), J McCarthy (Leinster), R Baird (Leinster), C Doris (Leinster), J Conan (Leinster).
Replacements T Stewart (Ulster), C Healy (Leinster), T Furlong (Leinster), T Beirne (Munster), C Prendergast (Connacht), C Blade (Connacht), C Frawley (Leinster), C Nash (Munster)
Italy T Allan (Perpignan); P Odogwu (Benetton), J I Brex (Benetton), T Menoncello (Benetton), M Ioane (Lyon); P Garbisi (Montpellier), S Varney (Gloucester); T Halafihi (Benetton), Manuel Zuliani (Benetton), S Negri (Benetton), F Ruzza (Benetton, captain), D Lamb (Harlequins), M Riccioni (Saracens), G Nicotera (Benetton), D Fischetti (Zebre).
Replacements L Bigi (Zebre), P Buonfiglio (Zebre), S Ferrari (Benetton), N Cannone (Benetton), M Lamaro (Benetton), L Cannone (Benetton), A Fusco (Zebre) L Pani (Zebre)
