Ireland Squad Confirmed For Final Rounds Of RBS 6 Nations
The Ireland coaching team have named a squad of 35 players for rounds 4 and 5 of the 2016 RBS 6 Nations Championship.
Munster back rower Jack O’Donoghue has been added to the forwards panel and is one of two uncapped players in the squad – the other is Connacht prop Finlay Bealham.
O’Donoghue is a product of the Munster Youths system having previously captained his club side Waterpark to an Under-17 Munster title in 2011.
In April 2012 he captained the Ireland Under-18 Clubs side against France and England, and then made his Munster ‘A’ debut at 18 years of age against Rotherham Titans in the British & Irish Cup in December 2012 after featuring for the Munster Under-20s.
He lined out for the Ireland Under-19s in 2013 before getting a call-up to the Under-20 squad for the Junior World Championship in France where he played against Fiji.
One of four players named in their second Ireland U-20 Junior World Championship squad in June 2014, he captained the squad when they travelled to New Zealand for the tournament, playing in four games.
IRELAND Training Squad (Rounds 4 (Italy) & 5 (Scotland), 2016 RBS 6 Nations Championship):
Backs (16) –
Keith Earls (Young Munster/Munster)
Craig Gilroy (Dungannon/Ulster)
Robbie Henshaw (Buccaneers/Connacht)
Paddy Jackson (Dungannon/Ulster)
Rob Kearney (UCD/Leinster)
Ian Madigan (Blackrock College/Leinster)
Kieran Marmion (Corinthians/Connacht)
Luke Marshall (Ballymena/Ulster)
Stuart McCloskey (Ballynahinch/Ulster)
Fergus McFadden (Old Belvedere/Leinster)
Conor Murray (Garryowen/Munster)
Jared Payne (Ulster)
Eoin Reddan (Old Crescent/Leinster)
Jonathan Sexton (St. Mary’s College/Leinster)
Andrew Trimble (Ballymena/Ulster)
Simon Zebo (Cork Constitution/Munster)
Forwards (19) –
Finlay Bealham (Corinthians/Connacht) *
Rory Best (Banbridge/Ulster) (capt)
Sean Cronin (St. Mary’s College/Leinster)
Ultan Dillane (Corinthians/Connacht)
Dave Foley (UL Bohemians/Munster)
Cian Healy (Clontarf/Leinster)
Jamie Heaslip (Dublin University/Leinster) (vice-capt)
Jack McGrath (St. Mary’s College/Leinster)
Jordi Murphy (Lansdowne/Leinster)
Tommy O’Donnell (UL Bohemians/Munster)
Jack O’Donoghue (UL Bohemians/Munster) *
Mike Ross (Clontarf/Leinster)
Rhys Ruddock (St. Mary’s College/Leinster)
Donnacha Ryan (Shannon/Munster)
CJ Stander (Munster)
Richardt Strauss (Old Wesley/Leinster)
Devin Toner (Lansdowne/Leinster)
Josh van der Flier (UCD/Leinster)
Nathan White (Connacht)