Three exciting backline additions to Ireland’s Six Nations squad

Ireland have named a 36-man squad and there are some exciting additions.

Joe Schmidt has named a big pool of players for the final two rounds of the 2017 Six Nations Championship. Joey Carbery, Tiernan O'Halloran and Jared Payne are all included and there will be serious competition in the Irish midfield and for the 15 jersey. O'Halloran has been in electric form for Connacht this season, and last, while Carbery and Payne are back for Leinster and Ulster after spells on the sideline. The fullback position is one that will be hotly contested ahead of the coming matches. Former Connacht and Ireland flanker Johnny O'Connor described O'Halloran as 'the form fullback in the country' during a lively debate on The Hard Yards rugby podcast [from 27 minutes in the link below]. https://soundcloud.com/thehardyardssportsjoe/irelands-win-over-france-a-connacht-bromance-and-why-conor-murray-is-so-good-episode-4 Once again, Dan Leavy, Jack Conan and Quinn Roux are included in a forwards unit that includes captain Rory Best, Jamie Heaslip, CJ Stander and Sean O'Brien. IRELAND SQUAD Forwards (19) Rory Best (Banbridge/Ulster) (c) 102 caps Jack Conan (Old Belvedere/Leinster) 1 cap Tadhg Furlong (Clontarf/Leinster) 14 caps Cian Healy (Clontarf/Leinster) 65 caps Jamie Heaslip (Dublin University/Leinster) (vc) 94 caps Iain Henderson (Ballynahinch/Ulster) 30 caps Dave Kilcoyne (UL Bohemians/Munster) 17 caps Dan Leavy (UCD/Leinster) 1 cap Jack McGrath (St. Mary's College/Leinster) 39 caps Sean O'Brien (UCD/Leinster) 47 caps Tommy O'Donnell (UL Bohemians/Munster) 12 caps Peter O'Mahony (Cork Constitution/Munster) 38 caps Quinn Roux (Galwegians/Connacht) 1 cap Donnacha Ryan (Shannon/Munster) 45 caps John Ryan (Cork Constitution/Munster) 4 cap Niall Scannell (Dolphin/Munster) 2 cap CJ Stander (Shannon/Munster) 13 caps Devin Toner (Lansdowne/Leinster) 45 caps James Tracy (UCD/Leinster) 2 caps Backs (17) Joey Carbery (Clontarf/Leinster) 3 caps Andrew Conway (Garryowen/Munster) * Keith Earls (Young Munster/Munster) 57 caps Craig Gilroy (Bangor/Ulster) 10 caps Robbie Henshaw (Buccaneers/Leinster) 27 caps Paddy Jackson (Dungannon/Ulster) 22 caps Rob Kearney (UCD/Leinster) 75 caps Kieran Marmion (Corinthians/Connacht) 11 caps Luke Marshall (Ballymena/Ulster) 9 caps Luke McGrath (UCD/Leinster) 1 cap Conor Murray (Garryowen/Munster) 56 caps Tiernan O'Halloran (Buccaneers/Connacht) 3 caps Jared Payne (Ulster) 19 caps Garry Ringrose (UCD/Leinster) 6 caps Jonathan Sexton (St Mary's College/Leinster) 64 caps Andrew Trimble (Ballymena/Ulster) 70 caps Simon Zebo (Cork Constitution/Munster) 31 caps