Young stars brought into Ireland squad

by Brendan Cole

Head coach Declan Kidney has added several young and uncapped players to the Ireland squad ahead of the RBS 6 Nations clash with Wales on Sunday.

Simon Zebo, Dan Tuohy, Eoin O’Malley, Peter O’Mahony, Denis Hurley, Chris Henry, Rhys Ruddock, David Kearney and Brett Wilkinson have all been brought in to the 32-man senior squad announced today.

Zebo, David Kearney, named along with his brother Rob, O'Malley, O'Mahony and Wilkinson are all uncapped.

Leinster captain Leo Cullen’s decision to have surgery on an Achilles tendon injury means he is the only player left out who was named in the original senior squad last week. Munster forward James Coughlan, who replaced Cullen, is also left out.

Kidney will have the option of going with youth or experience when he names his final matchday squad at lunchtime on Wednesday with stalwarts like Gordon D’Arcy, Shane Jennings, Paddy Wallace, Donncha O’Callaghan and Ronan O’Gara all retained.

But the likes of Zebo and Tuohy caught the eye for the Ireland Wolfhounds in the 23-17 defeat to England Saxons in Exeter on Saturday and could come into contention for places in the back division and the second row respectively.

Kidney must also decide on his best half-back combination, with O'Gara, Jonathan Sexton, Conor Murray and Eoin Reddan all vying for selection.

Centre will also provide a selection headache as Brian O'Driscoll's absence from the squad for the first time in a decade means Kidney will be forced to select a new combination.

D'Arcy, Keith Earls, Tommy Bowe, Fergus McFadden, Andrew Trimble, Wallace and O'Malley are among those in the mix.

Leinster second row Devin Toner, a sub for the Wolfhounds on Saturday, has not made the cut. Wing Luke Fitzgerald was forced to pull out of the Wolfhounds squad named last week due to a neck injury.

O'Driscoll, David Wallace and Jerry Flannery are long-term injury absentees.

Bowe, rumoured to be on his way to an Irish province in the medium-term, is the only non-Irish based player named in the squad.

Geordan Murphy and Tony Buckley, who were both in the RWC 2011 squad, are among those plying their trade in the English Premiership who have not been included in expanded Irish squads so far this year.

Murphy, 33, revealed earlier this month that he had considered retiring from Test rugby but agreed with Kidney to be on standby for Ireland if needed.

Ireland Squad:

Rory Best (Banbridge/Ulster)
Tommy Bowe (Ospreys)
Tom Court (Malone/Ulster)
Sean Cronin (St. Mary's College/Leinster)
Gordon D'Arcy (Lansdowne/Leinster)
Keith Earls (Young Munster/Munster)
Stephen Ferris (Dungannon/Ulster)
Cian Healy (Clontarf/Leinster)
Jamie Heaslip (Naas/Leinster)
Chris Henry (Ballymena/Ulster)
Denis Hurley (Cork Constitution/Munster)
Shane Jennings (St. Mary's College/Leinster)
Rob Kearney (UCD/Leinster)
David Kearney (Lansdowne/Leinster)*
Fergus McFadden (Old Belvedere/Leinster)
Conor Murray (Garryowen/Munster)
Sean O'Brien (Clontarf/Leinster)
Donncha O'Callaghan (Cork Constitution/Munster)
Paul O'Connell (Young Munster/Munster)
Ronan O'Gara (Cork Constitution/Munster)
Peter O'Mahony (Cork Constitution/Munster)*
Eoin O'Malley (Old Belvedere/Leinster)*
Eoin Reddan (Lansdowne/Leinster)
Mike Ross (Clontarf/Leinster)
Donnacha Ryan (Shannon/Munster)
Rhys Ruddock (St. Mary's College/Leinster)
Jonathan Sexton (St. Mary's College/Leinster)
Andrew Trimble (Ballymena/Ulster)
Dan Tuohy (Ballymena/Ulster)
Paddy Wallace (Ballymena/Ulster)
Brett Wilkinson (Galwegians/Connacht)*
Simon Zebo (Cork Constitution/Munster)*

* Denotes uncapped player