Joe Schmidt has named seven uncapped players in a provisional 44-man squad for the Six Nations, with some big names excluded for the time being as they battle to be fit to play some part in the tournament.
Connacht duo Rodney Ah You and Kieran Marmion, Leinster pair Jordi Murphy and Martin Moore, Ulster’s Robbie Diack and Rob Herring and soon to be Munster player Robin Copeland are the seven uncapped players named in a fairly substantial provisional squad ahead of Joe Schmidt’s first Six Nations campaign as Irish boss.
Tommy Bowe, Simon Zebo, Donnacha Ryan and Richardt Strauss are amongst a host of players also under consideration for the Six Nations campaign but have been given additional time with their provinces to gain further recovery time or game time as they battle back from injury.
Commenting on the squad, Joe Schmidt said: "As always a number of the selections were very tight. Following on from the Guinness Series, there is an experienced core of players in the squad who will offer continuity, as well as some new additions who have been selected with an eye to the future.
“With Robin Copeland returning to play in Ireland next season it will be an opportunity for him to impress during the training week, while some of the younger or less experienced players such as Rob Herring, Iain Henderson, Rhys Ruddock, Kieran Marmion and Felix Jones have turned in some very positive performances to earn spots in the squad."
The squad will assemble at Carton House on Sunday following the final round of pool matches in the Heineken Cup this weekend and will be cut to approximately 32 players following the Irish Wolfhounds clash with the English Saxons on January 25. The squad of 23 for that game will be named two days prior to the game in Kingsholm on Saturday week.
Once the squad is finalised it will be straight down to business for the first encounter against Scotland in the Aviva Stadium on February 2, with a meeting against reigning champions Wales at the same venue six days later as Joe Schmidt will attempt to eradicate last year’s disastrous campaign from the memory as soon as possible.
Ireland Six Nations squad:
Forwards (24)
Rodney Ah You (Buccaneers/Connacht)*
Stephen Archer (Cork Constitution/Munster)
Rory Best (Banbridge/Ulster)
Robin Copeland (Cardiff Blues)*
Sean Cronin (St. Mary's College/Leinster)
Robbie Diack (Malone/Ulster)*
Cian Healy (Clontarf/Leinster)
Jamie Heaslip (Dublin University/Leinster)
Iain Henderson (Ballynahinch/Ulster)
Chris Henry (Malone/Ulster)
Rob Herring (Ballinahinch/Ulster)*
David Kilcoyne (UL Bohemians/Munster)
Mike McCarthy (Leinster)
Jack McGrath (St. Mary's College/Leinster)
Martin Moore (Lansdowne/Leinster)*
Jordi Murphy (Lansdowne/Leinster)*
Paul O'Connell (Young Munster/Munster)
Tommy O'Donnell (UL Bohemians/Munster)
Peter O'Mahony (Cork Constitution/Munster)
Mike Ross (Clontarf/Leinster)
Rhys Ruddock (St Mary's College/Leinster)
Devin Toner (Lansdowne/Leinster)
Dan Tuohy (Ballymena/Ulster)
Damian Varley (Garryowen/Munster)
Backs (20)
Isaac Boss (Terenure College/Leinster)
Darren Cave (Belfast Harlequins/Ulster)
Gordon D'Arcy (Lansdowne/Leinster)
Keith Earls (Young Munster/Munster)
Luke Fitzgerald (Blackrock College/Leinster)
Robbie Henshaw (Buccaneers/Connacht)
Paddy Jackson (Dungannon/Ulster)
Felix Jones (Shannon/Munster)
David Kearney (Lansdowne/Leinster)
Rob Kearney (UCD/Leinster)
Ian Keatley (Young Munster/Munster)
Ian Madigan (Blackrock College/Leinster)
Kieran Marmion (Corinthians/Connacht)*
Luke Marshall (Ballymena/Ulster)
Fergus McFadden (Old Belvedere/Leinster)
Conor Murray (Garryowen/Munster)
Brian O'Driscoll (UCD/Leinster)
Eoin Reddan (Lansdowne/Leinster)
Jonathan Sexton (Racing Metro 92)
Andrew Trimble (Ballymena/Ulster)
*Denotes uncapped player
