IRELAND HEAD COACH Joe Schmidt has today announced his preliminary 45-man World Cup squad.

Conan in action against Georgia on Sunday. Tamuna Kulumbegashvili / INPHO Tamuna Kulumbegashvili / INPHO / INPHO

The wider training squad includes two uncapped players: Leinster number eight Jack Conan – who impressed on Emerging Ireland’s series in Georgia this month – and his team-mate tighthead Tadhg Furlong.

This squad will begin World Cup preparations next week with four warm-up matches scheduled for August and early September before Schmidt must whittle his squad down to 31.

Along with Conan, Noel Reid and Rob Herring have come through the Tbilisi Cup experience with Emerging Ireland in to contention. There is no place for Munster’s James Cronin or Ulster centre Stuart McCloskey however. Rhys Ruddock, who captained that squad, has missed out due to another forearm injury.

Here’s the squad in full.

Forwards (23)

Rory Best (Banbridge/Ulster)
Michael Bent (Dublin University/Leinster)
Jack Conan (Old Belvedere/Leinster)*
Sean Cronin (St. Mary’s College/Leinster)
Tadhg Furlong (Clontarf/Leinster)*
Cian Healy (Clontarf/Leinster)
Jamie Heaslip (Dublin University/Leinster)
Iain Henderson (Ballynahinch/Ulster)
Chris Henry (Malone/Ulster)
Rob Herring (Ballynahinch/Ulster)
David Kilcoyne (UL Bohemians/Munster)
Jack McGrath (St. Mary’s College/Leinster)
Martin Moore (Lansdowne/Leinster)
Jordi Murphy (Lansdowne/Leinster)
Sean O’Brien (UCD/Leinster)
Paul O’Connell (Young Munster/Munster)
Tommy O’Donnell (UL Bohemians/Munster)
Peter O’Mahony (Cork Constitution/Munster)
Mike Ross (Clontarf/Leinster)
Donnacha Ryan (Shannon/Munster)
Richardt Strauss (Old Wesley/Leinster)
Devin Toner (Lansdowne/Leinster)
Dan Tuohy (Ballymena/Ulster)

Backs (22)
Isaac Boss (Terenure/Leinster)
Tommy Bowe (Belfast Harlequins/Ulster)
Darren Cave (Belfast Harlequins/Ulster)
Gordon D’Arcy (Lansdowne/Leinster)
Keith Earls (Young Munster/Munster)
Luke Fitzgerald (Blackrock College/Leinster)
Craig Gilroy (Dungannon/Ulster)
Robbie Henshaw (Buccaneers/Connacht)
Paddy Jackson (Dungannon/Ulster)
Felix Jones (Shannon/Munster)
David Kearney (Lansdowne/Leinster)
Rob Kearney (UCD/Leinster)
Ian Madigan (Blackrock College/Leinster)
Kieran Marmion (Corinthians/Connacht)
Fergus McFadden (Old Belvedere/Leinster)
Conor Murray (Garryowen/Munster)
Jared Payne (Ulster)
Eoin Reddan (Lansdowne/Leinster)
Noel Reid (Clontarf/Leinster)
Jonathan Sexton (Racing Metro 92)
Andrew Trimble (Ballymena/Ulster)
Simon Zebo (Cork Con/Munster)

- Originally published 17.30

Conan, a comeback and more talking points as Joe Schmidt names his 1st World Cup squad

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