D’Arcy out of Six Nations squad, while Tadhg Furlong gets first call-up

Have we seen Gordon D’Arcy in an Ireland shirt for the final time?

The Leinster centre is one three changes to the extended squad for the final rounds of the Six Nations against Walses and Scotland.

D’Arcy has won 81 caps for his country, the last of which came against Australia in November, and was the unfortunate one to miss out on the squad, as Schmidt opted to add an extra forward to his options.

However, while there was disappointment for the Leinster veteran, one of the province’s brightest stars is celebrating his first call-up, as tight-head prop Tadhg Furlong has been drafted in as cover for Mike Ross and Marty Moore.

There’s also a return to the squad for Michael Bent at loose-head, with Ulster’s Dan Touhy also back at Carton House after making his comeback from injury in recent weeks.

Making way for Bent and Touhy are Munster’s Billy Holland and Ulster’s Roger Wilson, with Schmidt opting for a split of 20 forwards and 16 backs in his deck for the trips to Cardiff and Edinburgh.

Also included are Sean O’Brien, who was concussed against England, and Jamie Heaslip, who is recovering from the back injury sustained against France.

Forwards: M Bent, R Best, S Cronin, T Furlong, C Healy, J Heaslip, I Henderson, M McCarthy, M McGrath, M Moore, J Murphy, S O’Brien, P O’Connell, T O’Donnell, P O’Mahony, M Ross, D Ryan, R Strauss, D Toner, D Touhy

Backs: I Boss, T Bowe, D Cave, K Earls, L Fitzgerald, R Henshaw, F Jones, D Kearner, R Kearney, I Keatley, I Madigan, C Murray, J Payne, E Reddan, J Sexton, S Zebo

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