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27th Jan 2014

Zebo and Gilroy left out as Schmidt snips Six Nations squad

Zebo is cut, Gilroy is cut and Joe Schmidt liked David Kilcoyne’s hustle, that’s why it was so hard to cut him.

Conor Heneghan

Zebo is cut, Gilroy is cut and Joe Schmidt liked David Kilcoyne’s hustle, that’s why it was so hard to cut him.

Zebo, Gilroy and Kilcoyne are amongst ten players cut from the provisional squad following the Irish Wolfhounds’ victory over the English Saxons at the weekend, with Stephen Archer, Damian Varley, Rob Herring, Robbie Diack, Ian Keatley, Isaac Boss and Kieran Marmion also missing out.

The omission of Gilroy and Zebo might come as a surprise considering that both players started in the victory over Wales in the Six Nations opener last season, although both players have endured injury problems of late.

Uncapped players Martin Moore, Jordi Murphy and Robin Copeland maintain their places in the squad ahead of the clash with Scotland at the Aviva Stadium on Sunday, by which time Schmidt will have trimmed the squad to 23 after a little bit more of this…

Ireland Six Nations squad:

Forwards: Cian Healy (Leinster), Jack McGrath (Leinster), Mike Ross (Leinster), Martin Moore (Leinster)*, Rory Best (Ulster), Seán Cronin (Leinster), Paul O’Connell (Munster), Devin Toner (Leinster), Mike McCarthy (Leinster), Iain Henderson (Ulster), Dan Tuohy (Ulster), Peter O’Mahony (Munster), Rhys Ruddock (Leinster), Chris Henry (Ulster), Tommy O’Donnell (Munster), Jordi Murphy (Leinster)*, Jamie Heaslip (Leinster), Robin Copeland (Cardiff Blues)*

Backs: Rob Kearney (Leinster), Robbie Henshaw (Connacht), Felix Jones (Munster), Fergus McFadden (Leinster), Luke Fitzgerald (Leinster), David Kearney (Leinster), Andrew Trimble (Ulster), Brian O’Driscoll (Leinster), Darren Cave (Ulster), Gordon D’Arcy (Leinster), Luke Marshall (Ulster), Jonathan Sexton (Racing Metro 92), Paddy Jackson (Ulster), Ian Madigan (Leinster), Conor Murray (Munster), Eoin Reddan (Leinster).

* denotes uncapped player