Ireland's squad has been announced!
Jack Leahy
Sports Editor: @Jack_Leahy
Ireland coach Declan Kidney has announced Ireland’s 30-man squad for the upcoming Rugby World Cup in New Zealand, springing a few shocks in the process.
The biggest upset in the squad sees British and Irish Lions Luke Fitzgerald and regular first-choice scrum-half Tomás O’Leary left at home, while Conor Murray and Fergus McFadden have made the cut. Another marginal call is the inclusion of Geordan Murphy, while Marcus Horan, Peter Stringer and John Hayes are excluded as expected. O’Leary’s abysmal performance against France on Saturday afternoon cost him dearly, with in-form Murray usurping him in the pecking-order.
Kidney’s exclusions mark a notable change in the Irish set-up from the doomed and complacent 2007 campaign, where established players were sure of their places on the plane months in advance of the competition. ‘The great thing about Declan is that he takes note of who’s doing well in training, and that gives everyone that edge when they pull on a training jersey’ said captain Brian O’Driscoll.
‘It’s not like we’ve had to search around the squad for the numbers’, said Kidney of his squad ‘we’re leaving some top players behind’.
Forwards:
Rory Best, Jerry Flannery, Seán Cronin, Cian Healy, Mike Ross, Tom Court, Tony Buckley, Paul O’ Connell, Donnacha O’Callaghan, Leo Cullen, Donnacha Ryan, Seán O’Brien, Jamie Heaslip, David Wallace, Denis Leamy, Stephen Ferris.
Backs:
Isaac Boss, Tommy Bowe, Gordon D’arcy, Keith Earls, Rob Kearney, Fergus McFadden, Geordan Murphy, Conor Murray, Ronan O’Gara, Brian O’Driscoll, Eoin Reddan, Johnny Sexton, Andrew Trimble, Paddy Wallace.
Check back here this evening for the launch of our Fantasy Rugby World Cup game.
