Ireland name 34-strong Nations Cup squad, includes call-ups for James Lowe and Billy Burns

Fresh from their Six Nations title-ruining loss in France last Saturday night, Ireland have reassembled in Dublin with a 34-strong squad showing three changes from the 34 initially chosen on October 14 for the championship resumption against Italy and the French. 

Uncapped Ulster out-half Billy Burns, newly eligible winger James Lowe and fit-again Keith Earls are all included in a squad where Jack Carty, the broken-jawed Garry Ringrose and Jack Conan step away. Lowe had been training with the squad in recent weeks but was not officially part of the set-up as he wasn’t eligible to play. However, he has now served the necessary time to qualify under the 36-month residency rule.    

Kieran Marmion and Quinn Roux will be available to Connacht this weekend in the PRO14 and will only join the national squad on Sunday. Conan, who was rehabbing an issue in camp, has an unspecified injury that has not settled and has return to Leinster to continue his rehab programme.

Johnny Sexton addresses his disgruntlement at being substituted in Paris

Johnny Sexton addresses his disgruntlement at being substituted in Paris

There is no room for Ulster scrum-half John Cooney, who was called into the squad at the start of last week as injury cover for Jamison Gibson-Park who came right and appeared off the bench at Stade de France.

Ireland open their Autumn Nations Cup campaign at home to Wales on November 13, travel to England on November 21 before hosting Georgia at the Aviva Stadium on November 29. A play-off match against either Fiji, France, Italy or Scotland will follow on the first Saturday of December. 

"He should apologise to Farrell."https://t.co/LfZloxUfA7

— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) November 5, 2020

IRELAND AUTUMN NATIONS CUP SQUAD (34)

Backs (16)

Bundee Aki (Connacht/Galwegians) 28 caps

Billy Burns (Ulster) uncapped

Ross Byrne (Leinster/UCD) 8 caps

Andrew Conway (Munster/Garryowen) 23 caps

Shane Daly (Munster/Cork Con) uncapped

Keith Earls (Munster/Young Munster) 84 caps

Chris Farrell (Munster/Young Munster) 10 caps

Jamison Gibson Park (Leinster) 2 caps

Robbie Henshaw (Leinster/Buccaneers) 45 caps

Hugo Keenan (Leinster/UCD) 2 caps

James Lowe (Leinster) uncapped

Kieran Marmion (Connacht/Corinthians) 27 caps

Stuart McCloskey (Ulster/Bangor) 3 caps

Conor Murray (Munster/Garryowen) 83 caps

Jonathan Sexton (Leinster/St Mary’s College) 93 caps (capt)

Jacob Stockdale (Ulster/Lurgan) 30 caps

Forwards (18)

Finlay Bealham (Connacht/Buccaneers) 11 caps

Tadhg Beirne (Munster/Lansdowne) 15 caps

Ed Byrne (Leinster/UCD) 2 caps

Will Connors (Leinster/UCD) 2 caps

Ultan Dillane (Connacht/Corinthians) 17 caps

Caelan Doris (Leinster/UCD) 4 caps

Cian Healy (Leinster/Clontarf) 100 caps

Dave Heffernan (Connacht/Buccaneers) 3 caps

Iain Henderson (Ulster/Academy) 55 caps

Rob Herring (Ulster/Ballynahinch) 13 caps

Ronan Kelleher (Leinster/Lansdowne) 3 caps

Peter O’Mahony (Munster/Cork Constitution) 69 caps

Andrew Porter (Leinster/UCD) 28 caps

Quinn Roux (Connacht/Galwegians) 12 caps

John Ryan (Munster/Cork Constitution) 21 caps

James Ryan (Leinster/UCD) 28 caps

CJ Stander (Munster/Shannon) 43 caps

Josh van der Flier (Leinster/UCD) 26 caps

"I had never seen them in my life. This man pulls them out of his bag as if it is nothing. That bag was a bag of tricks"https://t.co/1ZFNIqZsif

— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) November 4, 2020