Six Players Added To Ireland Squad
The Ireland coaches have added a further six players to the squad of 34 originally named ahead of yesterday’s match against New Zealand in Chicago. Ireland face Canada in the first match of the GUINNESS Series at the Aviva Stadium next Saturday (kick-off 7.15pm).
Connacht backs Niyi Adeolokun and Tiernan O’Halloran, the Munster trio of Dave Kilcoyne, Jack O’Donoghue and Darren Sweetnam and Leinster flanker Dan Leavy have joined the Ireland squad today at Carton House.
Unfortunately, Jordi Murphy, the scorer of Ireland’s opening try against New Zealand, has left the squad after damaging the ACL in his left knee which rules him out of action for six to nine months.
There were no other injury concerns to report from national camp following the clash with the reigning World champions at Soldier Field.
Ireland team manager Michael Kearney said: “Jonathan Sexton is good, he cramped up a bit after 60 minutes. He hadn’t played a lot of rugby for the previous six or seven weeks so he came off with a bit of cramp. But he’s fine.
“The rest of the matchday squad from Chicago is in good shape following a very physical encounter but there is a fair bit of fatigue amongst them.”
One of the players who played the full 80 minutes against the All Blacks, winger Andrew Trimble, spoke for the squad as a whole when he said that the historic result was still sinking in.
“It feels pretty special. It still hasn’t fully sunk in what we managed to achieve. We’re still kind of pinching ourselves. Myself and Rory Best, we were playing a few holes of golf this morning and still trying to come to terms with just how big an occasion it was,” explained Trimble.
“The performance, the atmosphere at the game, Chicago in general. It was a really special week and a really special weekend for everyone involved. So, we’re trying to enjoy it for what it is and then trying to get back to a bit of normality and another game this weekend.”
Ireland begin preparing for their first GUINNESS Series match against Canada today, with the game taking place at the Aviva Stadium next Saturday (kick-off 7.15pm). The last remaining tickets for the clash are on sale on ticketmaster.ie.
The inclusion of Adeolokun, O’Donoghue, Sweetnam and Leavy brings the number of uncapped players in Ireland’s extended 39-man squad to nine.
IRELAND Squad (v Canada, 2016 GUINNESS SERIES, Aviva Stadium, Saturday, November 12, kick-off 7.15pm):
Niyi Adeolukun (Galwegians/Connacht) *
Finlay Bealham (Buccaneers/Connacht)
Rory Best (Banbridge/Ulster) (capt)
Joey Carbery (Clontarf/Leinster)
Sean Cronin (St. Mary’s College/Leinster)
Ultan Dillane (Corinthians/Connacht)
Keith Earls (Young Munster/Munster)
Tadgh Furlong (Clontarf/Leinster)
Craig Gilroy (Bangor/Ulster)
Cian Healy (Clontarf/Leinster)
Jamie Heaslip (Dublin University/Leinster) (vice-capt)
Iain Henderson (Ballynahinch/Ulster)
Robbie Henshaw (Buccaneers/Leinster)
Billy Holland (Cork Constitution/Munster) *
Paddy Jackson (Dungannon/Ulster)
Rob Kearney (UCD/Leinster)
Dave Kilcoyne (UL Bohemians/Munster)
Dan Leavy (UCD/Leinster) *
Kieran Marmion (Corinthians/Connacht)
Luke Marshall (Ballymena/Ulster)
Jack McGrath (St. Mary’s College/Leinster)
Luke McGrath (UCD/Leinster) *
Conor Murray (Garryowen/Munster)
Sean O’Brien (UCD/Leinster)
Jack O’Donoghue (UL Bohemians/Munster) *
Tiernan O’Halloran (Buccaneers/Connacht)
Peter O’Mahony (Cork Constitution/Munster)
Jared Payne (Ulster)
Garry Ringrose (UCD/Leinster) *
Donnacha Ryan (Shannon/Munster)
John Ryan (Cork Constitution/Munster) *
Jonathan Sexton (St. Mary’s College/Leinster)
CJ Stander (Shannon/Munster)
Darren Sweetnam (Cork Constitution/Munster) *
Devin Toner (Lansdowne/Leinster)
James Tracy (UCD/Leinster) *
Andrew Trimble (Ballymena/Ulster)
Josh van der Flier (UCD/Leinster)
Simon Zebo (Cork Constitution/Munster)
* Denotes uncapped player