Ireland’s Summer Rugby Squad: Four Newcomers Included, Baloucoune Misses Out

Ireland’s Rugby World Cup Squad Announced: Uncapped Players and Injury Concerns

Irish rugby fans around the world eagerly await news of their national team’s 42-strong summer training squad to prepare for the upcoming Rugby World Cup in France. The latest announcement revealed Ulster hooker Tom Stewart as one of four uncapped players selected, along with Leinster duo Ciaran Frawley and Jamie Osborne and Munster’s Calvin Nash.

Injury Woes

The Irish captain Johnny Sexton is named despite concerns about a groin injury that has kept him from playing since the Six Nations. However, Keith Earls made it into the squad despite his club teammate Joey Carbery missing out due to an ongoing ankle issue. Unfortunately for Ulster fans, Robert Baloucoune did not make the cut either due to fitness or other undisclosed reasons.

Squad Selection Surprises

Jordan Larmour, Shane Daly, Jean Kleyn, James Hume and Nick Timoney were all absent from the list announced by head coach Andy Farrell. Instead, seven Ulster players have been included like Jacob Stockdale who last played for Ireland in 2021. McCloskey, Henderson O’Toole Herring Treadwell along with new faces Stewart are among those who complete this formidable line-up.

Preparing For The Big Event

Ireland will face Italy on August 5th at Dublin’s Aviva Stadium before taking on England two weeks later in another preparation match at Twickenham. They’ll then travel to France where they will encounter Samoa (26th August) before finalizing their selection process by reducing their squad size down to thirty-three players ahead of September’s tournament start date against Romania.

Predicting how far Ireland will go in this year’s Rugby World Cup is a mystery. However, the squad selected by Andy Farrell is dynamic and equipped with enough depth to handle any challenge. Fans worldwide look forward to seeing them play.