Paddy Wallace will be a fly-half option for the World Cup

Ireland A have named Rory Best, Marcus Horan and Paddy Wallace in their starting line-out for Sunday's clash with England Saxons in Bath.

Best and Horan return to their normal positions after lengthy lay-offs but Wallace will feature at half-back.

Wallace is seen as a probable third fly-half option for the 2011 World Cup and Ireland coach Declan Kidney is keen to see him in action at number 10.

Wallace will be joined at half-back by veteran Peter Stringer.

Wallace's inclusion does not automatically mean that he will not feature in the Six Nations opener against Italy. Wallace is still in the running as Brian O'Driscoll's centre partner where he featured all of last season.

He has played all season in the centre for Ulster and scored a typical try against Bath last week. His Ulster colleague Ian Humphreys, who has worn the number 10 jersey for Ulster for most of the season, is on the bench.

Rory Best was not expected back until the end of the season.

Although Wallace was a regular in the starting line-up in last year's Grand Slam campaign, Leinster's Gordon D'Arcy is coming into a rich vein of form at present and will be seen as a big rival for the number 12 jersey.

Best and Horan are selected in order to give them more game time and to be ready to step into the Six Nations if needed.

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Horan made his return to Munster duty when coming on as a replacement in Friday's win over Northampton.

The prop was out of rugby for more than two months after undergoing an operation to correct an irregular heartbeat in October.

Best recently returned to full-time training with Ulster and played for Banbridge in the AIB League at the weekend having recovered following neck surgery. He was not expected to return until next August.

Meanwhile, Denis Hurley and Johne Murphy were late cry-offs from the 22-man squad with Gavin Duffy no starting full-back and Connacht flyer Fionn Carr on the right wing.

Ireland A: G Duffy; F Carr, F McFadden, K Matthews, I Dowling; P Wallace, P Stringer; M Horan, R Best, T Buckley, M O'Driscoll, D Toner, S Jennings, S O'Brien, J Muldoon.
Replacements: J Fogarty, M Ross, R Caldwell, N Ronan, I Boss, I Humphreys, D Cave.

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