Keith Wood says he is disappointed not to see Munster back row Tommy O'Donnell included in the Ireland panel for the trip to face New Zealand in Chicago on November 5th.
Joe Schmidt named a 34-man selection with six uncapped players for the test fixture.
They are Joey Carbery, Billy Holland, Luke McGrath, John Ryan, Garry Ringrose and James Tracy.
O'Donnell, who has won 12 caps since 2013 is not included however.
"I was disappointed not to see Tommy O'Donnell there, I have to say," Keith told Off The Ball.
"I just think he has been excellent for Munster and has played at a really, really high level and for me has upped the standard of his game a fair amount.
"And I'm also disappointed that Iain Henderson is injured because - I know Joe doesn't see him as a back-row necessarily - he can give more options and cover more things."
He also praised Leinster's Tadgh Furlong, who has been included in the absence of veteran prop Mike Ross,
"I think it could John Ryan or Tadgh Furlong [starting]. It could be either of them. I don't know that there is a full pecking order at the moment," he said.
"I am a fan of Tadgh Furlong and I love the fact that we have two fairly young tightheads now."
Keith is also looking forward to the impact Leinster's young centre Garry Ringrose can make in the medium-term.
"I'm looking forward to the days of Ringrose being sensational in a 13 jersey, I really am," he said.
"And I think we could see that before the end of this Autumn."
Download the brand new OffTheBall App in the Play Store & App Store right now! We've got you covered!
Subscribe to OffTheBall's YouTube channel for more videos, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for the latest sporting news and content.
