Athlone's Luke Carty to start for USA against Ireland

This Saturday will be a day Athlone man Luke Carty is unlikely to forget in a hurry, as he's been named to line out against Ireland in his second international cap for the USA rugby team.

The former St Brigid's gaelic footballer from Barrymore scored 9 points (one penalty and three conversions) in a fine debut appearance for the USA against England in Twickenham last weekend.

The team for Saturday's game in Dublin (kick-off 7.15pm) was named this afternoon and it was confirmed that Carty would again be starting in the number 10 shirt.

US head coach Gary Gold praised the performances of Carty and try-scorer Christian Dyer against England on Sunday.

"Luke and Christian did themselves proud last week, as did the rest of the boys. It was a great occasion for them and they showed the carefree exuberance of youth.

"We hope to see them build on that energy this weekend with a focus on improving," he said.

Luke Carty was previously with Buccaneers and Connacht but now plays his club rugby in California with the LA Giltinis. He qualifies for the US side through a grandmother born in New York.

The former Marist College student described his debut on Sunday as a "proud" moment, adding that it was "a great honour to represent the USA on the 4th of July".

Luke's brother Jack is an important player for Connacht and has 10 senior caps for Ireland but is not part of the Irish side this weekend.

The Ireland v USA game will be broadcast live on RTÉ2 on Saturday, with coverage starting at 6.30pm.