“Hopefully we’ll do something special up there.” – Peter O’Mahony
If most rugby supporters were asked to predict Joe Schmidt’s Ireland squad for the Six Nations openers against Scotland and Italy, there’s a good chance they would get 80-90% of the names right.
Ireland are going into the 2017 Six Nations championship full of confidence.
They have a gentle enough start, a clatter of in-form players, provinces back in the Champions Cup quarter finals, home games against France and England and fresh memories of turning over South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.
Schmidt will name his Ireland squad around midday on Monday and we know of two Munster players that will certainly be joining up with the squad in Carton House.
Munster captain Peter O’Mahony was surprised to learn the Ireland squad was not yet public knowledge when asked about it on Saturday night. The announcement was originally supposed to be on Friday but it was postponed to Monday by the IRFU.
One suspects all the players know at this stage, although Ian Madigan may have been given a shout when he was over for Bordeaux’s Champions Cup match with Ulster.
O’Mahony, Keith Earls and Munster loose-head Dave Kilcoyne are certainties for national squad selection. Earls missed Munster’s Champions Cup win over Racing 92 on Saturday but told supporters at Thomond Park that he will be back in full training and playing in the coming days.
There could be as many as 13 Munster players [listed below] in the extended training squad of 30+ and few would argue with such a strong representation.
Following Munster’s 22-10 victory over Racing, O’Mahony said:
“Guys know that we are splitting up again now. Some guys get a rest next week; guys head off to [Ireland] camp to go for what’s always an enjoyable Six Nations. Guys want to be competing for that.
“There’s different agendas – guys taking a rest, king on [with Ireland], looking forward to the PRO12 and putting in performances to put guys under pressure that are with the national team. Hopefully we’ll do something special up there too.”
O’Mahony played two of Ireland’s four November Series matches and will be fully aware of the mountainous task he faces of shifting CJ Stander from the blindside position. He may have to settle for a replacement role against the Scots. Kilcoyne will be up against Leinster’s Jack McGrath and Cian Healy for the No.1 jersey.
One imagines these two lads will be there to keep them company.
MUNSTER CALL-UPS
- Certainties: Conor Murray, Simon Zebo, Donnacha Ryan, Keith Earls, CJ Stander, Peter O’Mahony, Dave Kilcoyne
- Likely: Niall Scannell, Rory Scannell
- Possibles: Billy Holland, Andrew Conway, John Ryan, Ian Keatley
