Team News: Ireland captain Brian O'Driscoll will go straight back into the team to face the All Blacks alongside Luke Fitzgerald despite being one of three latecomers to the squad in New Zealand.
The Leinster centre was due to partner his young provincial team-mate when Ireland faced the Barbarians last week but dropped out of that team to after the death of a friend.
His inclusion is not unexpected after interim coach Michael Bradley indicated earlier in the week that having prepared for the Barbarians clash the skipper was up to speed with the rest of the squad.
It will be the first time the pair has combined at international level, and O'Driscoll is relishing the prospect.
"I was looking forward to playing with Lukey against the Baa-baas last week and it didn't materialise," he said today.
"I'm certainly looking forward to it. He's such an exciting talent and for such a young guy he has confidence in abundance and I think that will alleviate any nerves a lot of people in that position may feel.
"It's going to be an exciting prospect and we're looking forward to trying to forge some sort of partnership together."
The fact that Fitzgerald has sat out the past two training sessions with a stiff ankle does not appear to concern management.
Otherwise, the starting XV has sprung no surprises, with the bulk of Munster's Heineken Cup-winning pack selected and a back line dominated by Leinster's Magners League winners.
Alan Quinlan was not considered after failing to recover from a dead leg but his fellow Munster backrowers David Wallace and Denis LEamey will start on the openside and blindside respectively.
Jamie Heaslip continues at number eight where he impressed in the Six Nations and for Leinster all season long.
Scrumhalf Eoin Reddan, fresh from Wasps' success in the Guinness Premiership final against Leicester, will partner outhalf Ronan O'Gara.
Like O'Driscoll, Reddan and Leicester's Geordan Murphy had their first run with the squad on Tuesday but there's no place for the latter in the squad.
Bradley was under no illusion of the task ahead of Ireland, who have not beaten New Zealand in 20 attempts.
"In recent times New Zealand have won 42 of their last 48 matches which is a very good strike rate," he said.
"You go back a couple of years and they really put it up to the Lions and won that series very comfortably. So it is very difficult to win matches here."
Despite having had less than a week to prepare for the contest, and the disruption of players arriving late, Bradley said that would not be used as an excuse.
"Both sides will be prepared well for the match and it's down to performance on the day."
Ireland: Robert Kearney; Shane Horgan, Brian O'Driscoll (c), Luke Fitzgerald, Tommy Bowe; Ronan O'Gara, Eoin Reddan; Marcus Horan, Jerry Flannery, John Hayes, Donncha O'Callaghan, Paul O'Connell, David Wallace, Denis Leamy, Jamie Heaslip.
Replacements: Rory Best, Tony Buckley, Mick O'Driscoll, Shane Jennings, Peter Stringer, Paddy Wallace, Girvan Dempsey.
