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No place for Boss

No place for Boss

01/30/2012 06:51:11 PM

Ireland have included five uncapped players among a 32-man squad named ahead of Sunday's Six Nations opener against Wales.

Wings David Kearney and Simon Zebo are present after scoring a try apiece in the Irish Wolfhounds' 23-17 defeat by England Saxons on Friday.

Centre Eoin O'Malley, back row Peter O'Mahony and prop Brett Wilkinson also feature.

All five have been promoted from the Wolfhounds' squad, alongside capped internationals fullback Denis Hurley, lock Dan Tuohy and back rows Chris Henry and Rhys Ruddock.

Halfbacks Tomas O'Leary and Isaac Boss have failed to make it into the 32, while second row Leo Cullen has also been omitted from the squad.

Ireland coach Declan Kidney names the team to face Wales at lunchtime on Wednesday with the key talking point being who will play at outside centre in place of Brian O'Driscoll.

O'Driscoll has been ruled out of the entire Six Nations after undergoing shoulder surgery, leaving Keith Earls, Tommy Bowe, Fergus McFadden and Andrew Trimble to compete for the No.13 jersey.

Jonathan Sexton is likely to be preferred ahead of Ronan O'Gara at first five-eighths while Eoin Reddan and Conor Murray are in contention at halfback.

The only other area of debate is in the second row where Donncha O'Callaghan could see his long-term partnership with Paul O'Connell, skipper in O'Driscoll's absence, broken up.

Ireland squad:
Forwards: R Best (Ulster), T Bowe (Ospreys), T Court (Ulster), S Cronin (Leinster), S Ferris (Ulster), C Healy (Leinster), J Heaslip (Leinster), C Henry (Ulster), S Jennings (Leinster), S O'Brien (Leinster), D O'Callaghan (Munster), P O'Connell (Munster), P O'Mahony (Munster), M Ross (Leinster), D Ryan (Munster), R Ruddock (Leinster), D Tuohy (Ulster), B Wilkinson (Connacht).

Backs: G D'Arcy (Leinster), K Earls (Munster), D Hurley (Munster), R Kearney (Leinster), D Kearney (Leinster), F McFadden (Leinster), C Murray (Munster), R O'Gara (Munster), E O'Malley (Leinster), E Reddan (Leinster), J Sexton (Leinster), A Trimble (Ulster), P Wallace (Ulster), S Zebo (Munster).

 
Photograph Copyright : Getty Images

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