Talented youngster Jamie Osborne has been rewarded for his fine Leinster form by being included in the Ireland squad for the Six Nations.
Osborne is the only uncapped player in the 37-man group with Andy Farrell unsurprisingly going for the tried and tested following a superb couple of years.
There are still some interesting inclusions and omissions, however, with Joey Carbery’s absence the biggest surprise.
Return to form for Ross Byrne
Munster starlet Jack Crowley gets another opportunity while Ross Byrne is back in the equation after impressing for Leinster.
Centre Robbie Henshaw is missing as his injury woes continue but there is a place for Stuart McCloskey, as well as Jacob Stockdale, despite Ulster’s poor form.
Stockdale has not played for Ireland since July 2021 due to injury and has not been at his best after returning, but the 26-year-old had an outstanding scoring record prior to his ankle problem.
However, there are a few notable absentees due to the struggles of the Kingspan Stadium-based outfit, with Kieran Treadwell, Nick Timoney, Mike Lowry, Robert Baloucoune and James Hume all axed.
Ireland head coach Farrell said: “The Six Nations is a huge competition for us and another opportunity for us to grow as group. 2022 was a busy year as we got to work with a larger group of players as we continued to build our squad depth and competition for places.
“While there are a few players carrying knocks and others that have missed out on selection for the start of the tournament, they will have the opportunity to push their case playing for their provinces in the URC over the coming weeks as no doubt we will need to call upon the wider group as the tournament progresses.”
Ireland, one of the pre-tournament favourites, begin their Six Nations campaign with an away match against Wales before the huge and possibly decisive clash against France at the Aviva Stadium.
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Ireland’s 37-man squad for the Six Nations
Backs: Bundee Aki, Ross Byrne, Craig Casey, Jack Crowley, Keith Earls, Jamison Gibson-Park, Mack Hansen, Hugo Keenan, Jordan Larmour, James Lowe, Stuart McCloskey, Conor Murray, Jimmy O’Brien, Jamie Osborne, Garry Ringrose, Johnny Sexton, Jacob Stockdale
Forwards: 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, Josh van der Flier