Ten Munster players named in Ireland Six Nations squad

THE Ireland coaching group have selected a squad of 36 players for the upcoming 2021 Guinness Six Nations Championships.

Jonathan Sexton captain’s the squad for a second Six Nations campaign and there are two uncapped players named in the squad, Munster scrum-half Craig Casey and Ulster’s Tom O’Toole.

There are 10 Munster players named including the uncapped Casey, who has been named in his first squad after training with the Irish side last year.

Twenty one-year-old Craig Casey made his first Guinness PRO14 start for Munster just 13 months ago in the win away to Connacht in December 2019.

Shannon RFC clubman Casey, who was a stand-out schools player at Ardscoil Ris, moved up to the Munster senior squad in the summer of 2019 having spent two years in the Munster Rugby Academy

Named 2018/19 Academy Player of the Year, the scrum-half was vice-captain of the 2019 Grand Slam-winning Ireland U20s side and also held that role throughout the 2019 U20 World Championships in Argentina.

Casey made his Munster debut off the bench against Connacht at Thomond Park in April 2019.

The exciting half-back was called up to train with the Ireland senior squad for the first time in October 2020.

Ireland have just two fixtures at the Aviva Stadium in the 2021 Guinness Six Nations hosting France in Round 2 and England on the final weekend of the Championship. In Round 1 Ireland will take on Wayne Pivac’s Wales at the Principality Stadium. Ireland’s first two fixtures of the 2021 Championships against Wales and France will both take place on Sunday afternoons.

Ireland’s third round fixture is at the Stadio Olimpico against Italy and in the penultimate round Ireland face Scotland at Murrayfield.

Ireland Head Coach Andy Farrell, commented, "Since the Autumn international window the club season has had a good few disruptions and the cancellation of the European fixtures means there have been less opportunities for players to show form or to return from injury and get some minutes under their belts.  

Tadhg (Furlong) hasn’t played in quite a while but he is ready to join the group. Unfortunately Jacob (Stockdale) will not be available to us."

All Ireland games will be televised on Virgin in the Republic of Ireland and on ITV (v France, Italy & England) and BBC (v Wales & Scotland) in Northern Ireland.

Ireland Squad 2021 Guinness 6 Nations Championships

Backs (17)
Bundee Aki (Connacht/Galwegians) 30 caps
Billy Burns (Ulster) 3 caps
Ross Byrne (Leinster/UCD) 11 caps
Craig Casey (Munster/Shannon) uncapped
Andrew Conway (Munster/Garryowen) 24 caps
Shane Daly (Munster/Cork Con) 1 cap
Keith Earls (Munster/Young Munster) 88 caps
Chris Farrell (Munster/Young Munster) 14 caps
Jamison Gibson Park (Leinster) 5 caps
Robbie Henshaw (Leinster/Buccaneers) 47 caps
Hugo Keenan (Leinster/UCD) 6 caps
Jordan Larmour (Leinster/St Mary’s College) 24 caps
James Lowe (Leinster) 2 caps
Stuart McCloskey (Ulster/Bangor) 4 caps
Conor Murray (Munster/Garryowen) 87 caps
Garry Ringrose (Leinster/UCD) 30 caps
Jonathan Sexton (Leinster/St Mary’s College) 95 caps CAPTAIN

Forwards (19)
Tadhg Beirne (Munster/Lansdowne) 17 caps
Will Connors (Leinster/UCD) 5 caps
Caelan Doris (Leinster/St Mary’s College) 7 caps
Ultan Dillane (Connacht/Corinthians) 17 caps
Tadhg Furlong (Leinster/Clontarf) 25 caps
Cian Healy (Leinster/Clontarf) 104 caps
Dave Heffernan (Connacht/Buccaneers) 5 caps
Iain Henderson (Ulster/Academy) 58 caps
Rob Herring (Ulster/Ballynahinch) 16 caps
Ronan Kelleher (Leinster/Lansdowne) 6 caps
Dave Kilcoyne (Munster/UL Bohemians) 39 caps
Peter O’Mahony (Munster/Cork Constitution) 73 caps
Tom O’Toole (Ulster/Banbridge) uncapped
Andrew Porter (Leinster/UCD) 32 caps
Quinn Roux (Connacht/Galwegians) 16 caps
Rhys Ruddock (Leinster/St Mary’s College) 26 caps
James Ryan (Leinster/UCD) 32 caps
CJ Stander (Munster/Shannon) 46 caps
Josh van der Flier (Leinster/UCD) 28 caps

Ireland 2021 Guinness Six Nations Fixtures
Wales v IRELAND
Principality Stadium, Cardiff
Sunday 7th February, KO 15.00
VIRGIN / BBC

IRELAND v France
Aviva Stadium, Dublin
Sunday 14th February, KO 15.00
VIRGIN / ITV

Italy v IRELAND
Stadio Olimpico, Rome
Saturday 27th February, KO 14.15
VIRGIN / ITV

Scotland v IRELAND
BT Murrayfield, Edinburgh
Sunday 14th March, KO 15.00
VIRGIN / BBC

IRELAND v England
Aviva Stadium, Dublin
Saturday 20th March, KO 16.45
VIRGIN / ITV