A 37-man squad has been named ahead of Ireland’s Guinness Six Nations game against France at the Aviva Stadium on Sunday (kick-off 3pm).
Joe Schmidt’s men are third in the table, three points behind unbeaten leaders Wales.
The Ireland squad reconvened at their Carton House base in Maynooth on Monday night following last week’s training camp in Belfast, which also included an open training session at Queen’s University last Friday.
Leinster out-half Ross Byrne, who was capped during the summer tour to Australia, is included in the extended panel for the France game which also sees the return of Connacht scrum half Kieran Marmion, who has impressed for the province since returning from ankle surgery.
Up front, Rob Herring, who recently bagged a hat-trick of tries against Zebre, is included as one of three hookers alongside his provincial colleague, captain Rory Best, and Munster’s Niall Scannell. The team to play France will be announced on Friday afternoon.
IRELAND Squad (v France, 2019 Guinness Six Nations – Round 4, Aviva Stadium, Sunday, March 10, kick-off 3pm):
Player/Club/Province/Caps –
Backs (16):
Bundee Aki (Galwegians/Connacht) 15
Ross Byrne (UCD/Leinster) 2
Joey Carbery (Clontarf/Munster) 18
Jack Carty (Buccaneers/Connacht) 1
Andrew Conway (Garryowen/Munster) 11
John Cooney (Terenure College/Ulster) 7
Keith Earls (Young Munster/Munster) 75
Chris Farrell (Young Munster/Munster) 5
Tom Farrell (Coolmine/Connacht) *
Rob Kearney (UCD/Leinster) 89
Jordan Larmour (St. Mary’s College/Leinster) 11
Kieran Marmion (Galwegians/Connacht) 24
Conor Murray (Garryowen/Munster) 70
Garry Ringrose (UCD/Leinster) 18
Jonathan Sexton (St. Mary’s College/Leinster) (vice-capt) 81
Jacob Stockdale (Lurgan/Ulster) 17
Forwards (21):
Rory Best (Banbridge/Ulster) (capt) 115
Tadhg Beirne (Lansdowne/Munster) 4
Jack Conan (Old Belvedere/Leinster) 12
Ultan Dillane (Corinthians/Connacht) 13
Tadhg Furlong (Clontarf/Leinster) 31
Cian Healy (Clontarf/Leinster) 86
Iain Henderson (Queen’s University/Ulster) 43
Rob Herring (Ballynahinch/Ulster) 7
Dave Kilcoyne (UL Bohemians/Munster) 27
Jack McGrath (St. Mary’s College/Leinster) 54
Jordi Murphy (Lansdowne/Ulster) 27
Sean O’Brien (UCD/Leinster) 55
Peter O’Mahony (Cork Constitution/Munster) (vice-capt) 55
Andrew Porter (UCD/Leinster) 13
Quinn Roux (Galwegians/Connacht) 11
Rhys Ruddock (Lansdowne/Leinster) 21
James Ryan (UCD/Leinster) 15
John Ryan (Cork Constitution/Munster) 17
Niall Scannell (Dolphin/Munster) 12
CJ Stander (Shannon/Munster) 29
Josh van der Flier (UCD/Leinster) 16
