SportsJOE’s Rugby-World-Cup-ometer: Who’s on the plane and who’s eating Toblerone at home with BOD

Midway through the Six Nations and passports are already stamped

SportsJOE

A little over six months away from RWC 2015 and there are lots of spots left on the plane.

Joe Schmidt may have appeared half-cocked, in November 2013, when he claimed he wanted to grow, and develop, a squad of 35 to 40 senior professionals.

Ireland had finished that year’s Six Nations in fifth place and, due to a chronic injury crisis, ended up with Munster back-row Peter O’Mahony playing most of the away defeat to Italy on the left wing.

18 months on and Ireland are defending champions in the Six Nations, have won 10 Tests in a row and, ahead of the England game, named a squad of 36 players, with another four missing through injury. Added to that are 10 more players, including Andrew Trimble, Paddy Jackson, Chris Henry and Dave Kilcoyne, that are long-term injuries.

With three matches gone in the 2015 Six Nations, we feel it is time to decide who is on the World Cup plane, who is on stand-by in the Departures Lounge, and who will be tuning in to TV3 and watching from home.

On the plane

Barring injury, the majority of the 23-man squad(s) that did for Italy, France and England should make it to Blighty for the competition, this September and October.

Certainties: Jack McGrath, Cian Healy, Rory Best, Sean Cronin, Mike Ross, Marty Moore, Paul O’Connell, Devin Toner, Iain Henderson, Peter O’Mahony, Sean O’Brien, Jordi Murphy, Jamie Heaslip, Conor Murray, Johnny Sexton, Simon Zebo, Andrew Trimble, Robbie Henshaw, Jared Payne, Tommy Bowe, Rob Kearney, Felix Jones – 22 players.

On stand-by

On speed-dial: Dave Kilcoyne, Richardt Strauss, Dave Kearney, Chris Henry, Tommy O’Donnell, Rhys Ruddock, Paddy Jackson, Ian Madigan, Eoin Reddan, Isaac Boss, Ian Madigan, Luke Fitzgerald, Keith Earls, Robbie Diack, Gordon D’Arcy, Dave Foley, Mike McCarthy, Dan Tuohy – 18 players.

On the couch

Keep fit, just in case: Stephen Archer, Declan Fitzpatrick, James Cronin, Tadhg Furlong, Donnacha Ryan, Roger Wilson, Craig Gilroy, Dominic Ryan, Ian Keatley, Robin Copeland, Darren Cave, Luke Marshall, Kieran Marmion, Billy Holland, Kevin McLaughlin, Rodney Ah You, Nathan White, Stuart Olding, Mike Sherry, Noel Reid, Michael Bent, Luke McGrath, JJ Hanrahan, Donncha O’Callaghan, Denis Hurley, Paul Marshall, Stuart McCloskey, Eoin McKeon, Darragh Leader. – 29 players.