Andy Farrell made a bold decision by excluding a star player from Ireland’s 37-man team for the 2017 Six Nations.
Joey Carbery’s exclusion was the one surprise in Farrell’s Thursday squad announcement. The Munster player, despite being physically healthy, has been summarily cut from the Ireland squad.
Robbie Henshaw, who is injured and hence unable to play, is a further absentee. Tadhg Furlong’s calf injury was a concern coming up to the announcement of the squad, however he was still selected despite the ailment.
Netflix has announced a behind-the-scenes Six Nations documentary.
Leinster’s Jamie Osborne is the only uncapped player in the team. Since joining the senior squad as a Development Player in November 2021, he has also played for Emerging Ireland and Ireland A.
Andy Farrell, head coach of Ireland, remarked, “The Six Nations is a massive competition for us and another chance to grow as a team.” We worked with a wider number of players in 2022 as we continued to develop squad depth and competition for positions.
“While there are a few players carrying knocks and others who were not selected for the beginning of the tournament, they will have the opportunity to prove their worth by playing for their provinces in the URC over the next few weeks, as we will undoubtedly need to call upon the larger group as the tournament progresses.”
Ireland finished second to France in the Championship last year with four victories and five bonus points for a total of 21 points, capturing the Triple Crown for the first time since 2018 in the process.
European URC teams will compete in South Africa during the Six Nations.
Backs: Bundee Aki, Ross Byrne, Craig Casey, Jack Crowley, Keith Earls, Jamison Gibson-Park, Mack Hansen, Hugh Keenan, Jordan Larmour, James Lowe, Stuart McCloskey, Conor Murray, Jimmy O’Brien, Jamie Osborne, Garry Ringrose, Johnny Sexton, and Jacob Stockdale.
Forwards include Ryan Baird, Finlay Bealham, Tadhg Beirne, Jack Conan, Gavin Coombes, Caelan Doris, Tadhg Furlong, Cian Healy, Iain Henderson, Rob Herring, Ronan Kelleher, Dave Kilcoyne, Joe McCarthy, Peter O’Mahony, Tom O’Toole, Andrew Porter, Cian Prendergast, James Ryan, Dan Sheehan, and Josh
»Notable player left out of Ireland’s Six Nations squad«