Friday Round-Up

Schmidt names squad: Ireland head coach Joe Schmidt has named a 46 man strong squad for the forthcoming Six Nations campaign, with two uncapped players featuring in his plans. In a squad which incorporates both the national side and the Irish Wolfhounds, Leinster’s Jack Conan and Connacht’s tight head prop Nathan White feature as the two inexperienced figures. After a breakthrough season with the Dublin based province Leinster, Conan has seen his stock rise immensely, forcing his way into selection for the Champions Cup clash with Castres last weekend on the blindside. New Zealand born prop White had previously been expected to feature during Ireland’s November International campaign of 2014 but succumbed to an injury which scuppered his hopes of attaining an international cap at the time. Elsewhere, the likes of Robin Copeland, Dave Kilcoyne, Donncha Ryan and Andrew Trimble will all remain with their provinces as they continue their recovery from injury, with some hope that some, if not all, will return to feature over the course of the Championship. Amongst the long-term injury group, the likes of Chris Henry, Paddy Jackson, Dan Tuohy and Stuart Olding all miss out. Ireland kick off their campaign against Italy, while the Wolfhounds will take on a strong England Saxons side in Cork on Friday the 30th of January.

Nick under knife: Reports emanating out of Australian and Japanese rugby circles are today suggesting that winger Nick Cummins will miss the opening brace of rounds of Super Rugby action due to injury. Cummins, who has recently confirmed he has been released from his contract in the Japanese Top League, will undergo a minor operation to repair damage to his ankle. However, before returning to his beloved Western Force in Perth, 27 year old Cummins will be expected to complete one more game in Japan before switching his attention back to the Force’s Super Rugby campaign. According to Force head coach Michael Foley, the operation represents minor surgery and should take just three to four weeks for a full recovery. With both Marcel Brache and Mitchell Scott in the squad, Foley remains positive about his options on the right wing in the absence of Cummins for the opening rounds.