Three Players Promoted From Wolfhounds Squad

A 26-man Ireland squad will join up in camp this evening in Dublin to begin the final preparations ahead of their opening match in the 2011 RBS 6 Nations Championship against Italy next Saturday.

There are no fresh injury concerns for the Ireland squad after last week’s training camp in Limerick and the O2 Ireland Wolfhounds game against Scotland on Friday.

Full-back Gavin Duffy, scrum half Tomas O’Leary and flanker Kevin McLaughlin have been drafted into the senior squad from the Ireland Wolfhounds side.

The Ireland team to play Italy will be announced this Tuesday; the same day that the Ireland Wolfhounds squad to face the England Saxons at Ravenhill on Friday night will be confirmed.

IRELAND Squad (v Italy, 2011 RBS 6 Nations Championship, Stadio Flaminio, Saturday, February 5, kick-off 3.30pm local time/2.30pm Irish time):

Backs (11) –

Gordon D’Arcy (Lansdowne/Leinster)
Gavin Duffy (Galwegians/Connacht)
Keith Earls (Thomond/Munster)
Luke Fitzgerald (Blackrock College/Leinster)
Fergus McFadden (Old Belvedere/Leinster)
Brian O’Driscoll (UCD/Leinster) (capt)
Ronan O’Gara (Cork Constitution/Munster)
Tomas O’Leary (Dolphin/Munster)
Eoin Reddan (Lansdowne/Leinster)
Jonathan Sexton (St. Mary’s College/Leinster)
Paddy Wallace (Ballymena/Ulster)

Forwards (15) –

Rory Best (Banbridge/Ulster)
Tom Court (Malone/Ulster)
Sean Cronin (Buccaneers/Connacht)
Leo Cullen (Blackrock College/Leinster)
Cian Healy (Clontarf/Leinster)
Shane Jennings (St. Mary’s College/Leinster)
Denis Leamy (Cork Constitution/Munster)
Kevin McLaughlin (St. Mary’s College/Leinster)
Sean O’Brien (Clontarf/Leinster)
Donncha O’Callaghan (Cork Constitution/Munster)
Paul O’Connell (Young Munster/Munster)
Mick O’Driscoll (Cork Constitution/Munster)
Mike Ross (Clontarf/Leinster)
Rhys Ruddock (St. Mary’s College/Leinster)
David Wallace (Garryowen/Munster)