This week, Andy Farrell announced his 34-player squad for this year's Six Nations.
There had been rife speculation around who the next Ireland captain would be after Johnny Sexton's retirement, and that news was put to bed this week as Munster and Ireland veterans received the honour from Farrell.
A number of familiar faces made the squad. 26 players who played in the Rugby World Cup have been included
However, eight players who were not part of the tournament in France have been called up for this year's spring event
Munster's duo of Oli Jager and Thomas Ahern and young Leinster out-half Sam Prendergast have also been included as "training panellists."
The trio will travel with the Ireland squad to Portugal next Wednesday for their pre-tournament training camp in Quinta do Lago.
Mack Hansen, Jimmy O'Brien's injury, and Keith Earls retirement have left Farrell with selection issues, and this means that wingers Jordan Larmour of Leinster, Munster’s Calvin Nash, and Ulster’s Jacob Stockdale are also included.
Ulster's Nick Timoney's, Leinster's Harry Byrne, and Ciarán Frawley also make the cut.
Sam Prendergast of Ireland (Photo By David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile via Getty Images)Commenting on the squad announcement, Farrell said: “The forthcoming Men’s Guinness Six Nations presents an opportunity for us to grow and develop. The Six Nations is one of the biggest stages in world rugby, and this year’s competition will be keenly fought.
"I am pleased with the quality of performances by the extended group over the last number of weeks and believe that the squad is in good shape. I would like to congratulate all those who have been selected, especially those who are at the beginning of their international journeys. It doesn’t get much tougher than France away in the opening weekend, but it is a challenge that we will approach in a positive frame of mind."
While Peter O'Mahony commented on being selected as Ireland's captain and said it was one of the "proudest moments of his life,"
"Ever since I was a boy starting off in the game, I have always dreamed of captaining Ireland. I have been asked to lead Ireland on a number of occasions previously, and each of those 10 matches was a special day. To now be asked to captain Ireland ahead of the Six Nations is without doubt one of the proudest moments of my life, and I would like to thank Andy for this show of faith in me."
Ireland are the current Six Nations and Grand Slam champions and will head to France in their opening game on February 2. . This game kicks off at 8 p.m. Irish time. France will host defending champions Ireland at the Orange Velodrome in Marseille, as Stade de France is unavailable due to preparations for the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Ireland will then play consecutive home matches at Aviva Stadium in Rounds 2 and 3. Italy will visit Dublin on Sunday, February 11, which kicks off at 3 p.m., followed by a Wales clash on Saturday, February 24, which kicks off at 2.15 p.m.
In Round 4, Ireland will head to Twickenham to take on England on Saturday, March 9 (this kicks off at 4.45 p.m.). The Championship finale will see Ireland host Scotland at Aviva Stadium on Super Saturday, March 16 (this kicks off at 4.45 p.m.).
All three of Ireland’s home matches at Aviva Stadium are sold out, with RTÉ and Virgin Media providing free-to-air coverage of the Guinness Men’s Six Nations in Republic of Ireland and BBC and ITV broadcasting in the United Kingdom.
Presenting your Ireland squad for the 2024 Guinness Men's Six Nations, captained by Peter O'Mahony! 🟢#TeamOfUs
— Irish Rugby (@IrishRugby) January 17, 2024
Ireland Squad: Guinness Men’s Six Nations 2024
Forwards (19):
Ryan Baird (Leinster/Dublin University) (15)
Finlay Bealham (Connacht/Buccaneers) (36)
Tadhg Beirne (Munster/Lansdowne) (46)
Jack Conan (Leinster/Old Belvedere) (41)
Caelan Doris (Leinster/St Mary’s College) (36)
Tadhg Furlong (Leinster/Clontarf) (72)
Cian Healy (Leinster/Clontarf) (125)
Iain Henderson (Ulster/Academy) (79)
Ronan Kelleher (Leinster/Lansdowne) (26)
Jeremy Loughman (Munster/Garryowen)
Joe McCarthy (Leinster/Dublin University)
Peter O’Mahony (Munster/Cork Constitution) (101) (captain)
Tom O’Toole (Ulster/Ballynahinch) (12)
Andrew Porter (Leinster/UCD) (59)
James Ryan (Leinster/UCD) (59)
Dan Sheehan (Leinster/Lansdowne) (21)
Tom Stewart (Ulster/Ballynahinch) (2)
Nick Timoney (Ulster/Banbridge) (3)
Josh van der Flier (Leinster/UCD) (57)
Backs (15):
Bundee Aki (Connacht/Galwegians) (52)
Harry Byrne (Leinster/UCD) (2)
Craig Casey (Munster/Shannon) (13)
Jack Crowley (Munster/Cork Constitution) (9
Ciaran Frawley (Leinster/UCD) (1)
Jamison Gibson-Park (Leinster) (30)
Robbie Henshaw (Leinster/Buccaneers) (62)
Hugo Keenan (Leinster/UCD) (36)
Jordan Larmour (Leinster/St Mary’s College) (30)
James Lowe (Leinster) (26)
Stuart McCloskey (Ulster/Bangor) (15)
Conor Murray (Munster/Garryowen) (112)
Calvin Nash (Munster/Young Munster) (1)
Garry Ringrose (Leinster/UCD) (57)
Jacob Stockdale (Ulster/Lurgan) (37)
Training Panellists:
Oli Jager (Munster)
Thomas Ahern (Shannon/Munster)
Sam Prendergast (Lansdowne/Leinster)
* denotes uncapped player
Ireland Six Nations campaign
- February 2: Ireland vs. France (8 p.m. Irish time, Orange Velodrome in Marseille)
- February 11: Ireland vs. Italy at Aviva Stadium (3 p.m.)
- February 24: Ireland vs. Wales at Aviva Stadium (2.15 p.m.)
- March 9: England vs. Ireland at Twickenham (4.45 p.m.)
- March 16: Ireland vs. Scotland at Aviva Stadium (4.45 p.m.)
