“There is a good sense of continuity in selection.”
Ireland head coach Simon Easterby has named his squad for the upcoming 2025 Six Nations Championship.
The Men in Green are aiming for an unprecedented third title in a row, and begin their campaign against England on February 1 at the Aviva Stadium.
Easterby, in charge while Andy Farrell is on Lions duty, has picked a 36-man squad, captained by Caelan Doris, with four development players.
Leinster loose head Jack Boyle is the only uncapped player in the main squad, with development players Hugh Cooney (Leinster), Ben Murphy (Connacht), Cathal Forde (Connacht), and James McNabney (Ulster) all uncapped.
There was an expectation that the in-form Tom Ahern would be called up, or perhaps a new face in the back row such as John Hodnett, Alex Kendellen, or David McCann.
There a few surprises in the squad, with the biggest being the absence of Ulster’s Nick Timoney, who has been a stalwart in Andy Farrell’s squads.
Munster tight head Oli Jager is also unlucky to miss out.
Fans will be pleased, however, to see the return of Dan Sheehan, who has made a remarkable recovery after suffering an ACL injury July.
Injured Ulster duo Stuart McCloskey and Jacob Stockdale are not so lucky and have been left out.
Ireland ‘A’ are due to play England ‘A’ at Ashton Gate during the third week of the competition, which should provide an opportunity for fans to see some new faces in action.
The main squad breakdown is as follows: 23 Leinster, 5 Munster, 5 Connacht, 3 Ulster.
Easterby said: “The Guinness Six Nations is one of the most keenly-contested competitions in the global calendar and there’s great excitement across the playing group and coaching team for this year’s tournament. Personally I’m hugely excited to work with a talented group and speaking to the players you can sense that they are up for the challenge.
“One of the highlights from the recent Autumn Nations Series was the emergence of a number of new internationals in Thomas Clarkson, Cormac Izuchukwu, Gus McCarthy and Sam Prendergast. We are also delighted to welcome back a number of players who were unavailable for the recent Autumn Nations Series and their return will further boost competition levels across the panel.
“While there is a good sense of continuity in selection, having those players back massively increases our competitiveness. It’s also a great opportunity for three young Development Players – James, Ben and Cathal – to continue their recent good run of form for their Provinces and continue their development.
“The thing about the Six Nations is that you have to hit the ground running and there’s no room for building or easing your way into competition. Every match counts and facing England at home in the first round sharpens everyone’s mind to what will be a big task ahead.”
Ireland 2025 Six Nations squad –
Forwards (21):
Ryan Baird (Dublin University/Leinster)(23)
Finlay Bealham (Corinthians/Connacht)(46)
Tadhg Beirne (Lansdowne/Munster)(56)
Jack Boyle (UCD/Leinster)*
Thomas Clarkson (Dublin University/Leinster)(2)
Jack Conan (Old Belvedere/Leinster)(46)
Caelan Doris (St Mary’s College/Leinster)(captain)(47)
Tadhg Furlong (Clontarf/Leinster)(78)
Cian Healy (Clontarf/Leinster)(134)
Iain Henderson (Academy/Ulster)(84)
Rob Herring (Ballynahinch/Ulster)(42)
Cormac Izuchukwu (Ballynahinch/Ulster)(1)
Rónan Kelleher (Lansdowne/Leinster)(37)
Gus McCarthy (UCD/Leinster)(2)
Joe McCarthy (Dublin University/Leinster)(16)
Peter O’Mahony (Cork Constitution/Munster)(110)
Andrew Porter (UCD/Leinster)(70)
Cian Prendergast (UCD/Connacht)(4)
James Ryan (UCD/Leinster)(67)
Dan Sheehan (Lansdowne/Leinster)(27)
Josh van der Flier (UCD/Leinster)(68)
Backs (15):
Bundee Aki (Galwegians/Connacht)(60)
Caolin Blade (Galwegians/Connacht)(3)
Jack Crowley (Cork Constitution/Munster)(19)
Ciaran Frawley (UCD/Leinster)(8)
Jamison Gibson-Park (Leinster)(38)
Mack Hansen (Corinthians/Connacht)(25)
Robbie Henshaw (Buccaneers/Leinster)(77)
Hugo Keenan (UCD/Leinster)(42)
James Lowe (Leinster)(36)
Conor Murray (Garryowen/Munster)(120)
Calvin Nash (Young Munster/Munster)(8)
Jimmy O’Brien (Naas/Leinster)(8)
Jamie Osborne (Naas/Leinster)(5)
Sam Prendergast (Lansdowne/Leinster)(3)
Garry Ringrose (UCD/Leinster)(63)
Development Players (4):
Hugh Cooney (Clontarf/Leinster)*
Cathal Forde (Corinthians/Connacht)*
James McNabney (Ballymena/Ulster)*
Ben Murphy (Clontarf/Connacht)*
* denotes uncapped player
