Three Saffas in Ireland squad

CJ Stander, Quinn Roux and Richardt Strauss have been included in Ireland's 32-man squad for their three-Test tour of South Africa in June.

Roux is one of two uncapped players who have been included in Joe Schmidt's squad, with Kiwi flank Sean Reidy also cracking the nod.

Roux played lock for Western Province in 2011 and 2012, before signing for Leinster. He was loaned out to Connacht in 2014 and signed a permament deal with the club last year.

'Touring South Africa will be arduous to say the least, so we’ve attempted to prioritise players who are currently as close to full fitness as possible,' Schmidt commented. 'In what is always a difficult balancing act, we’ve taken a long-term view with a number of players who need a rest or will benefit from a full pre-season.'

Players unavailable for selection included Cian Healy, Denis Buckley, Nathan White, Josh van der Flier, Peter O’Mahony, Sean O’Brien, Tommy Bowe, Andrew Conway and Simon Zebo.

Ireland squad:

Forwards: Finlay Bealham, Rory Best (c), Sean Cronin, Ultan Dillane, Tadhg Furlong, Jamie Heaslip (v-c), Iain Henderson, David Kilcoyne, Jack McGrath, Jordi Murphy, Sean Reidy, Mike Ross, Quinn Roux, Rhys Ruddock, Donnacha Ryan, CJ Stander, Richardt Strauss, Devin Toner.

Backs: Keith Earls, Luke Fitzgerald, Robbie Henshaw, Paddy Jackson, David Kearney, Rob Kearney, Kieran Marmion, Luke Marshall, Conor Murray, Stuart Olding, Jared Payne, Eoin Reddan, Jonathan Sexton, Andrew Trimble.

Photo: Caroline Quinn/Getty Images

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