Ireland name 37-strong Six Nations squad with one uncapped player

Andy Farrell has named a 37-strong Ireland squad for the upcoming Guinness Six Nations, including only 27 of the 34 players capped during the recent three-game Autumn Nations Series. Keith Earls, Jordan Larmour, James Lowe, the uncapped Jamie Osborne and Jacob Stockdale are the newcomers in the backs, replacing Robert Baloucoune, Robbie Henshaw and Joey Carbery.

In the pack, Ryan Baird, Gavin Coombes, Iain Henderson, Ronan Kelleher and Dave Kilcoyne are all named on this occasion, with Jeremy Loughman, Kieran Treadwell, Nick Timoney and Max Deegan missing out.

Ireland, who have named 17 backs and 20 forwards for the championship, used 15 backs and 19 forwards across the November programme that featured successive wins over South Africa, Fiji and Australia to bolster their No1 World Rugby ranking.

Having watched all the other Six Nations countries announce their squads in the past week, Farrell has now unveiled his Irish pick ahead of their February 4 opener away to Wales. Included are Mack Hansen, Stuart McCloskey, Tadgh Furlong and Caelan Doris, the quartet of players that started all three recent Test games. 

The inclusion of the uncapped Osborne is recognition by Farrell of the 21-year-old's eye-catching form at Leinster where he has taken advantage of the absence of the injured Henshaw, who hasn't played since limping out of the Ireland win over Fiji in the first few minutes.

Ireland will fine-tune their round one preparations with a gathering at Quinta da Lago in Portugal before flying into Cardiff on February 2, two days before they tackle Warren Gatland’s Wales at the start of a campaign that continues the following weekend with a home encounter in Dublin versus title holders France.

Ireland Guinness Six Nations squad

Backs (17):

Bundee Aki (Connacht/Galwegians) 41 caps

Ross Byrne (Leinster/UCD) 14 caps

Craig Casey (Munster/Shannon) 7 caps

Jack Crowley (Munster/Cork Constitution) 2 caps

Keith Earls (Munster/Young Munster) 98 caps

Jamison Gibson Park (Leinster) 23 caps

Mack Hansen (Connacht) 8 caps

Hugo Keenan (Leinster/UCD) 25 caps

Jordan Larmour (Leinster/St Marys College) 30 caps

James Lowe (Leinster) 15 caps

Stuart McCloskey (Ulster/Bangor) 9 caps

Conor Murray (Munster/Garryowen) 100 caps

Jimmy O’Brien (Leinster/Naas) 3 caps

Jamie Osborne (Leinster/Naas) *

Garry Ringrose (Leinster/UCD) 47 caps

Johnny Sexton (Leinster/St Mary’s College)(captain) 109 caps

Jacob Stockdale (Ulster/Lurgan) 35 caps

Forwards (20):

Ryan Baird (Leinster/Dublin University) 8 caps

Finlay Bealham (Connacht/Buccaneers) 27 caps

Tadhg Beirne (Munster/Lansdowne) 36 caps

Jack Conan (Leinster/Old Belvedere) 33 caps

Gavin Coombes (Munster/Young Munster) 2 caps

Caelan Doris (Leinster/St Mary’s College) 23 caps

Tadhg Furlong (Leinster/Clontarf) 63 caps

Cian Healy (Leinster/Clontarf) 121 caps

Iain Henderson (Ulster/Academy) 68 caps

Rob Herring (Ulster/Ballynahinch) 31 caps

Ronan Kelleher (Leinster/Lansdowne) 18 caps

Dave Kilcoyne (Munster/UL Bohemians) 48 caps

Joe McCarthy (Leinster/Dublin University) 1 cap

Peter O’Mahony (Munster/Cork Constitution) 89 caps

Tom O’Toole (Ulster/Ballynahinch) 4 caps

Andrew Porter (Leinster/UCD) 48 caps

Cian Prendergast (Connacht/Corinthians) 1 cap

James Ryan (Leinster/UCD) 48 caps

Dan Sheehan (Leinster/Lansdowne) 13 caps

Josh van der Flier (Leinster/UCD) 45 cap