Ireland head coach Andy Farrell has named six uncapped players in his 35-man squad for their two remaining Six Nations games this month.
Leinster’s Ryan Baird, Ed Byrne, Jamison Gibson-Park, Hugo Keenan, and Will Connors, as well as Munster’s Shane Daly will be hoping to make an impact and win their first test caps.
John Cooney is a notable omission from the squad, which will be captained by Johnny Sexton, while Tom O’Toole and Max Deegan miss out due to injuries.
“There has been a huge effort right across Irish Rugby to ensure that the professional game could return safely and that work is greatly appreciated by the national management,” Farrell said in a statement on Thursday.
“We have protocols in place to safeguard the welfare of the players and staff and are looking forward to completing the Six Nations Championships.”
Leinster trio Harry Byrne, James Lowe and James Tracy, as well as Munster’s Craig Casey and Fineen Wycherley will train with the squad at the IRFU High Performance Centre in Dublin.
Ireland take on Italy at the Aviva Stadium on Oct. 24 before concluding their Six Nations campaign against France in Paris the following week.
Farrell’s side are fourth in the standings, four points behind England and France, who have both played an extra game.
Meanwhile, World Rugby has appointed former Ireland coach Joe Schmidt as Director of Rugby and High Performance.
Schmidt was named World Rugby Coach of the year in 2018 and led Ireland to three Six Nations titles including a Grand Slam two years ago.
Ireland squad
Backs:
Bundee Aki, Ross Byrne, Jack Carty, Andrew Conway, Shane Daly, Chris Farrell, Jamison Gibson Park, Robbie Henshaw, Hugo Keenan, Jordan Larmour, Kieran Marmion, Stuart McCloskey, Conor Murray, Garry Ringrose, Jonathan Sexton, Jacob Stockdale.
Forwards:
Ryan Baird, Finlay Bealham, Tadhg Beirne, Ed Byrne, Will Connors, Jack Conan, Caelan Doris, Cian Healy, Dave Heffernan, Iain Henderson, Rob Herring, Ronan Kelleher, Peter O’Mahony, Andrew Porter, Quinn Roux, James Ryan, John Ryan, CJ Stander, Josh van der Flier.