Six Nations 2017
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Ireland squad for the first two rounds.
Hooker Niall Scannell is named in the forwards and is one of the three uncapped players in the squad. Scannell captained the Ireland Under-20s at the Junior World Championship in 2012, leading them to the semi-final.
That U-20 squad also included the likes of Tadhg Furlong, Iain Henderson, Jack Conan and Luke McGrath who are all named in the Ireland squad today.
Andrew Conway, who featured for the Ireland Wolfhounds in 2015, and Rory Scannell, brother of Niall, are the uncapped players named among the 18 backs in the squad.
Ireland travel to both Edinburgh and Rome over the course of first two rounds of this year's Championship, facing Scotland at Murrayfield on Saturday, February 4 before flying to Rome to take on Conor O'Shea's Italian side on Saturday, February 11.
Ireland head coach Joe Schmidt commented: "It has been good to watch the players over the past two months and great to see many of them doing so well.
"As always, there were some difficult decisions but we feel that the group is a good mix with a number of key players having good experience and a number of newer players having gained valuable experience and confidence during the summer tour to South Africa and the recent GUINNESS November Series."
IRELAND Squad (2017 RBS 6 Nations - Rounds 1&2):
Player/Club/Province/Caps -
Backs (18):
Tommy Bowe (Belfast Harlequins/Ulster) 67 caps
Andrew Conway (Garryowen/Munster) *
Keith Earls (Young Munster/Munster) 54 caps
Craig Gilroy (Bangor/Ulster) 9 caps
Robbie Henshaw (Buccaneers/Leinster) 24 caps
Paddy Jackson (Dungannon/Ulster) 19 caps
Rob Kearney (UCD/Leinster) 72 caps
Kieran Marmion (Corinthians/Connacht) 9 caps
Luke Marshall (Ballymena/Ulster) 9 caps
Stuart McCloskey (Ballynahinch/Ulster) 1 cap
Luke McGrath (UCD/Leinster) 1 cap
Conor Murray (Garryowen/Munster) 53 caps
Tiernan O'Halloran (Buccaneers/Connacht) 3 caps
Garry Ringrose (UCD/Leinster) 3 caps
Rory Scannell (Dolphin/Munster) *
Jonathan Sexton (St. Mary's College/Leinster) 63 caps
Andrew Trimble (Ballymena/Ulster) 69 caps
Simon Zebo (Cork Constitution/Munster) 28 capsForwards (22):
Finlay Bealham (Buccaneers/Connacht) 6 caps
Rory Best (Banbridge/Ulster) (capt) 100 caps
Jack Conan (Old Belvedere/Leinster) 1 cap
Ultan Dillane (Corinthians/Connacht) 8 caps
Tadhg Furlong (Clontarf/Leinster) 11 caps
Cian Healy (Clontarf/Leinster) 62 caps
Jamie Heaslip (Dublin University/Leinster) (vice-capt) 91 caps
Iain Henderson (Ballynahinch/Ulster) 28 caps
Billy Holland (Cork Constitution/Munster) 1 cap
Dave Kilcoyne (UL Bohemians/Munster) 17 caps
Dan Leavy (UCD/Leinster) 1 cap
Jack McGrath (St. Mary's College/Leinster) 36 caps
Sean O'Brien (UCD/Leinster) 44 caps
Tommy O'Donnell (UL Bohemians/Munster) 12 caps
Peter O'Mahony (Cork Constitution/Munster) 37 caps
Donnacha Ryan (Shannon/Munster) 43 caps
John Ryan (Cork Constitution/Munster) 1 cap
Niall Scannell (Dolphin/Munster) *
CJ Stander (Shannon/Munster) 10 caps
Devin Toner (Lansdowne/Leinster) 42 caps
James Tracy (UCD/Leinster) 1 cap
Josh van der Flier (UCD/Leinster) 5 caps- Denotes uncapped player
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@Pot-Hale
Interestingly, Stander is the only residency player included.
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Interesting to see that Steady Eddie is going down the Clive Woodward path and employing the same 'vision coach' that SCW did for the Lions tour to NZ.
Apparently the players need to improve their peripheral vision because they spend too long with their eyes on their cell phones.
Maybe the better way to improve hand eye coordination is to pass the ball around without it being pre-structured? Just saying.
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Steady Eddie confirmed Hartley as captain for opening game. No surprises there and I get why Jones wants him as captain but still think it is a poor look for the game when someone who has probably the worst disciplinary record in the international game is given such a high profile position.
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Eddie Jones sporting a black eye at today's press conference. He said he slipped in the shower.
Warren Gatland sported a bandage on his head at the Lions press conference a while ago - reason - he slipped in the bathroom.....
Just saying like...
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@Pot-Hale said in Six Nations 2017:
Eddie Jones sporting a black eye at today's press conference. He said he slipped in the shower.
Warren Gatland sported a bandage on his head at the Lions press conference a while ago - reason - he slipped in the bathroom.....
Just saying like...
Saying what? They were having 'pass the soap' games that went wrong?
Jones looked like Hartley had gone to town on his head at the bottom of a ruck.
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England retain 25 players for the lead up to the France game.
Forwards
Dan Cole (Leicester Tigers), Ellis Genge (Leicester Tigers), Jamie George (Saracens), Teimana Harrison (Northampton Saints), Dylan Hartley (Northampton Saints), James Haskell (Wasps), Nathan Hughes (Wasps), Maro Itoje (Saracens), George Kruis (Saracens), Joe Launchbury (Wasps), Courtney Lawes (Northampton Saints), Joe Marler (Harlequins), Matt Mullan (Wasps), Kyle Sinckler (Harlequins), Tom Wood (Northampton Saints).
Backs
Mike Brown (Harlequins), Danny Care (Harlequins), Elliot Daly (Wasps), Owen Farrell (Saracens), George Ford (Bath Rugby), Jonathan Joseph (Bath Rugby), Jonny May (Gloucester Rugby), Jack Nowell (Exeter Chiefs), Ben Te’o (Worcester Warriors), Ben Youngs (Leicester Tigers).
Papers seem to think the starting lineup will be:
15 Brown
14 Nowell
13 Joseph
12 Farrell
11 May
10 Ford
9 Youngs
1 Marler
2 Hartley (c)
3 Cole
4 Lawes
5 Kruis (injury in training today being assessed, so may be Launchbury)
6 Itoje
7 Wood
8 HughesIn other news, Sexton ruled out of the Scotland game with a calf injury.
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@Margin_Walker what has happened to Tuilagi?
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Season ending knee injury. He's not really in the conversation England wise these days, as he can't seem to get himself on the pitch for more than a month or two before breaking something. Isn't related to his previous groin problem, so hopefully he'll get over it.
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Four more sleeps.
I can't wait.....
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@Pot-Hale said in Six Nations 2017:
Four more sleeps.
I can't wait.....
Me too! Off to Twickenham this weekend for a work junket. Will be a great opener, forecast looking like rain though.
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Kruis now confirmed out for England with knee ligament damage. Being assessed tomorrow, but that may be it for the 6N for him.
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Sexton and O'Mahony out of selection for Scotland match with minor injuries not cleared up. Keatley drafted in at 10, Madigan not picked from Bordeaux.
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@Margin_Walker said in Six Nations 2017:
Kruis now confirmed out for England with knee ligament damage. Being assessed tomorrow, but that may be it for the 6N for him.
Huge amount of press with players and coaching staff declaring how they believe they have created good depth to cover absences and how players that have had little recent play won't be affected by that.
I'm not sure how much is simply answering the media questions and how much of it is that they are thinking a lot themselves about these 'issues' and trying hard to be positive.I can only compare with the ABs and have seen only the odd player that is able to come straight back into rugby at test level and perform near potential. Usually the comments afterwards are along the lines of ' I was fit enough and had all the training numbers but man did I feel it out there. I'll be better for that next week'
I'm really hoping that 'committed France' turn up and don't wave the white flag part way through the game if things aren't going well.
