Matt Holland will captain Ireland when they face Norway in a friendly at Lansdowne Road on Wednesday evening. Regular skipper Kenny Cunningham is out injured and manager Brian Kerr has handed the armband to the Town captain.
Holland previously captained Ireland away in Scotland recently but this is the first time he will skipper a home game. Unsurprisingly he is proud to be given the job: "It is always an honour to captain the country and I am looking forward to leading the team out at Lansdowne Road."
Despite the game being a friendly Holland says his side are taking it very seriously: "People say friendlies are meaningless but I don't agree. It is an important game to get a feel for Lansdowne Road again after four away games and vital preparation for the next three home games.
"We had a bad start to the qualification campaign but got back on track in the last two games and if we win all our remaining games, we will top the group."
Holland picked up a slight knee problem on Saturday but this will not keep him from action on Wednesday.