News

Kidney unveils his Ireland troops

July 31 2008

Declan Kidney has named a 45-man Ireland training squad that will assemble for a four day pre-season training camp that commences on August 5.

The bulk of the squad is made up of those players who toured Australia and New Zealand in the off-season, although there are also several recalls.

Most notable of those is Leinster centre Gordon D'Arcy, who missed the majority of the 2008 Six Nations, as well as the tour Down Under, with a broken arm. He is joined by Andrew Trimble and Leo Cullen, both of whom have recovered from their respective injuries.

There are also call ups for a clutch of Ireland A's Churchill Cup squad, including Munster's Donncha Ryan and Keith Earls - the pair's first inclusion in a senior Ireland squad.

The four-day camp will be worked into the player's pre-season training that they are currently involved in with their respective clubs and regions.

"The camp is an opportunity for the coaching staff to work with the players and set some foundations ahead of what is going to be an important November for us," said new Ireland coach Kidney.

"We have a new blend of experience in the coaching staff and we felt that this camp would be key to getting the ideas of both the staff and players across ahead of the new season.

"Once we get into September, it really is a short space of time before we will arrive at our first camp ahead of the November games, so it will be important to our preparation.

"It is an exciting time and both the coaching staff and myself are looking forward to getting down to business and working with what is a talented squad of players."

Ireland Squad: Neil Best (Northampton), Rory Best (Belfast Harlequins/Ulster), Isaac Boss (Ballymena/Ulster), Tommy Bowe (Ospreys), Tony Buckley (Shannon/Munster), Ryan Caldwell (Dungannon/Ulster), Robert Casey (London Irish), Tom Court (Ballymena/Ulster), Leo Cullen (Blackrock College/Leinster), Gordon D'Arcy (Lansdowne/Leinster), Girvan Dempsey (Terenure College/Leinster), Ian Dowling (Shannon/Munster), Gavin Duffy (Galwegians/Connacht), Keith Earls (Garryowen/Munster), Stephen Ferris (Dungannon/Ulster), Luke Fitzgerald (Blackrock College/Leinster), Jerry Flannery (Shannon/Munster), John Hayes (Shannon/Munster), Cian Healy (Clontarf/Leinster), Jamie Heaslip (Clontarf/Leinster), Marcus Horan (Shannon/Munster), Shane Horgan (Boyne/Leinster), Bernard Jackman (Clontarf/Leinster), Shane Jennings (St. Mary's College/Leinster), Rob Kearney (UCD/Leinster), Denis Leamy (Cork Constitution/Munster), Geordan Murphy (Leicester Tigers), Donncha O'Callaghan (Cork Constitution/Munster), Paul O'Connell (Young Munster/Munster), Ronan O'Gara (Cork Constitution/Munster), Malcolm O'Kelly (St. Mary's College/Leinster), Brian O'Driscoll (UCD/Leinster), Mick O'Driscoll (Cork Constitution/Munster), Tomas O'Leary (Dolphin/Munster), Alan Quinlan (Shannon/Munster), Eoin Reddan (Wasps), Michael Ross (Harlequins), Donncha Ryan (Shannon/Munster), Jonathan Sexton (St.Mary's College/Leinster), Peter Stringer (Shannon/Munster), Andrew Trimble (Ballymena/Ulster), David Wallace (Garryowen/Munster), Paddy Wallace (Ballymena/Ulster), Roger Wilson (Northampton), Bryan Young (Ballymena/Ulster).