Ireland unveil 37-man squad for Six Nations tournament

Ireland head coach Andy Farrell has named two uncapped players Mack Hansen and Michael Lowry in the 37-man squad for the upcoming Six Nations tournament.

Hansen and Lowry have been impressive for Connacht and Ulster respectively in the ongoing campaign while there has been no places for Harry Byrne, Ciaran Frawley, Simon Zebo and Stuart McCloskey.

Fly-half Johnny Sexton has recovered from his injuries to captain the side for the third successive year in the championship while Joey Carbery has also been named despite sustaining a fractured elbow recently.

"In November we challenged the group to get up to speed quickly so that the team could perform at international level, head coach Farrell said.

"We have a strong squad with competition for places across the board, there is a nice blend of experienced internationals and guys who have had their first taste of this level in the past 12 months.

"The games in November gave us a good foundation to build on and areas where we know we will have to improve," he added. "It will be an exciting championship with so many strong squads and impressive performances across the board during the autumn."

Ireland will kick-start their Six Nations campaign with a clash against Wales at Aviva Stadium on 5th February.

Ireland Squad:

Forwards: Ryan Baird, Finlay Bealham, Tadhg Beirne, Jack Conan, Gavin Coombes, Caelan Doris, Tadhg Furlong, Cian Healy, Iain Henderson, Rob Herring, Ronan Kelleher, Dave Kilcoyne, Peter O'Mahony, Tom O'Toole, Andrew Porter, James Ryan, Dan Sheehan, Nick Timoney, Kieran Treadwell and Josh van der Flier.

Backs: Bundee Aki, Robert Baloucoune, Joey Carbery, Jack Carty, Craig Casey, Andrew Conway, Keith Earls, Jamison Gibson Park, Mack Hansen, Robbie Henshaw, James Hume, Hugo Keenan, Jordan Larmour, Michael Lowry, Conor Murray, Garry Ringrose and Johnny Sexton (captain).