Rory Best will lead six new caps against Canada © Getty Images

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Matches: Canada 6 - 25 Ireland

Players/Officials: Declan Kidney | Rory Best

Tournaments/Tours: Ireland tour

Teams: Canada | Ireland

Ulster hooker Rory Best will captain an Ireland side featuring six new caps against Canada in the opening game of their summer tour on Saturday.

Best will be accompanied in the front-row by Tom Court, making his first start for Ireland, and Munster giant Tonny Buckley. London Irish skipper Bob Casey will win his first cap in nine years from the second-row, where he is joined by Munster veteran Mick O'Driscoll. In the back-row the experienced Denis Leamy is joined by debutants Niall Ronan and John Muldoon.

In the backline there is four new caps, with Connacht's Ian Keatley and Ulster duo Darren Cave and Ian Whitten being joined by Munster wing Ian Dowling in securing his first Test match appearance. Connacht's Gavin Duffy will win his ninth cap, and first since 2007, at fullback.

"Our aim at the start of this season was to build a squad but with so many experienced players available, it has been difficult for some players to get experiences of their own," said Ireland coach Declan Kidney. "This is an ideal tour for them as these are full Test matches and we will see how the players cope when they are exposed to the full rigours of Test match rugby.

"These players have been training and playing with their provinces over a number of years and so we are just looking forward to seeing how they go this weekend. Saturday gives these players that chance to put down a marker to challenge for places and we see this as the start of our preparations for Rugby World Cup 2011 and building a squad for that tournament."

Although many of Ireland's more experienced players are involved in the Lions squad for the tour to South Africa, Best is confident those deputising are up to the job. Lions skipper Paul O'Connell, Brian O'Driscoll, Tommy Bowe, Luke Fitzgerald, Keith Earls, Stephen Ferris, Donncha O'Callaghan, Rob Kearney, David Wallace, Jamie Heaslip, Jerry Flannery and Ronan O'Gara are all either away with the Lions or taking part in Leinster's tilt at the Heineken Cup final on Saturday.

"Saturday is a big challenge as Canada will certainly be a physically imposing side and will want to try and test us in all areas of the park, especially up front," said Best. "We have to be able to meet that challenge and put in a performance. We have had a short time together, but I think there is a good blend in the team with players like Peter (Stringer) and Denis (Leamy) along with Mick O'Driscoll and Bob Casey adding experience to some of the younger players which will be important."

Canada boss Kieran Crowley has named one new cap in his side, with flanker Chauncey O'Toole slotting in on the blindside and completing the back-row alongside Adam Kleeburger and Aaron Carpenter. Bedford's James Pritchard starts at fullback after impressing on Canada's November tour of Europe, with Ed Fairhurst and David Spicer pulling the strings at halfback.

Canada were heavily beaten 55-0 by Ireland in the autumn, but Crowley believes that his side cannot focus on the past in Vancouver this weekend.

"What happened in the past is history," Crowley said. "It's what is going to happen on Saturday now. We've been concentrating on preparations for Saturday. It's a case of getting our system back in place and getting our combination's together. "

Canada: James Pritchard (Bedford Blues), Dean van Camp (Velox Valhallians), Ciaran Hearn (Castaway Wanderers), Ryan Smith (Calgary Irish), DTH van der Merwe (James Bay AA), David Spicer (University of Victoria), Ed Fairhurst (Cornish Pirates), Kevin Tkachuk (Glasgow Warriors), Pat Riordan, Scott Franklin (Cornish Pirates), Tyler Hotson (UBC Old Boy Ravens), Mike Burak (Cornish Pirates), Chauncey O'Toole (Castaway Wanderers), Adam Kleeberger (University of Victoria), Aaron Carpenter (Brantford Harelquins)

Replacements: Andrew Tiedemann (University of Victoria), Luke Tait (Stade Montois), Jebb Sinclair (Castaway Wanderers), Nanyak Dala (Castaway Wanderers), Sean Michael Stephen (Plymouth Albion), Phil Mack (James Bay AA), Ander Monro (Colorno)

Ireland: G Duffy (Connacht), B Murphy (Munster), D Cave (Ulster), I Whitten (Ulster), I Dowling (Munster), I Keatley (Connacht), P Stringer (Munster), T Court (Ulster), R Best (Ulster), T Buckley (Munster), B Casey (London Irish), M O'Driscoll (Munster), J Muldoon (Connacht), N Ronan (Munster), D Leamy (Munster).

Replacements: Sean Cronin (Connacht), M Ross (Harlequins), R Caldwell (Ulster), D Ryan (Munster), E Reddan (London Wasps), N O'Connor (Ulster), D Hurley (Munster)