The five Ireland players with most to gain this season

Huge years ahead for these men.

James McNabney

The Ulsterman was the least heralded member of one of the Ireland U20s best backrow units - in 2023 - alongside Brian Gleeson and Ruadhán Quinn.

But he quickly overtook the pair in terms of senior game time and in the pecking order at international level; culminating in selection as a training panellist for the 2025 summer tour squad.

Then came a devastating ACL injury, which sidelined him for the entirety of last season, as he was forced to watch on while the likes of Cormac Izuchukwu and Cian Prendergast got valuable game time in green.

Having returned to the Ulster team for pre-season, he is primed to regain his starting jersey and make a push for Ireland minutes and a place in next year's World Cup squad.

Matthew Devine

After consistently getting overlooked at Connacht, in favour of Caolin Blade and Ben Murphy, Matthew Devine took matters into his own hands with a move up north.

And he had to. Substantial game time is such a limited resource, but essential to proving your worth to the higher-ups, and the scrum-half wasn't going to let Connacht's poor judgement hamper his chances of going Down Under next year.

His move to Ulster has not only put himself as at least the second choice provincially, but he is now directly competing with Ireland's third choice in Nathan Doak.

If he was he to usurp the home-towner, it would be hard to justify leaving him out of international squads, either in November or for the Six Nations.

In Doak's absence, he has impressed in pre-season, with starts against Edinburgh and the Ospreys, and a debut try against the former.

He is probably a bit miffed that he is on the bench for Ulster's URC opener, with Conor McKee starting.

Will Connors

Although in a current and all-to-common state of injury, the openside should be back to fitness at the end of October, following a foot injury suffered at the end of last season.

At 30, his move to Connacht seems a final play at extending his international career and making a World Cup squad.

First he will have to make the Connacht No 7 jersey his own - not a guarantee by any means - but he has shown world-class ability when given a solid starting run, and deployed in role that plays to his strengths.

These strengths centre around his tackling and defensive abilities, which in the past have seen him start European knockout games for Leinster ahead Ireland's incumbent, Josh van der Flier.

Nick Timoney and Cian Prendergast are comfortably ahead of him internationally, but there is time to claw that ground back.

He offers Ireland the option of providing a different picture to the opposition, and this is crucial to his cause.

Brian Gleeson

Just as one of Ireland's most touted youngsters seemed to be making a significant breakthrough, he was cruelly cut down by injury ahead of Ireland's 2025 Autumn Series, when he was set to join up with the main squad.

With Connacht's Sean Jansen and Ulster's Bryn Ward forcing their way ahead of him in the international pecking order, after impressing during the summer, Gleeson will need to prove early on that he has taken his game to the next, more consistent level.

However, he will have to start on the bench in Munster's opening URC game of the season, which doesn't bode particularly well.

Given what he showed as an U20s, and in glimpses for Munster, it would be a disappointment for Irish rugby if he wasn't to fulfil his potential and star for his country on the biggest stage.

A lot can happen in a year, and his talent is such that he could offer a new and invaluable dimension to Ireland, if all falls into place.