No new faces for Irish in Six nations
18/01/2012
Fans enjoying hospitality packages when England play Ireland in the Six Nations at Twickenham may see some new faces in the home side, but the men in green will have a very familiar look.
Ireland's coach Declan Kidney has named the 24-man Six Nations squad, plus the 22-man Wolfhounds squad, with only the latter group having any uncapped players in it.
It means the side taking the field against the new-look England may contain familiar faces like stand-in captain Paul O'Connell, plus the likes of Gordon D'Arcy, Jonathan Sexton and Jamie Heaslip.
This is on contrast with England's 15 changes from last year's squad, although the Irish are without some injured players, notably captain Brian O'Driscoll, who is still recovering from shoulder surgery.
O'Connell was handed the armband for the tournament last month and declared: "The greatest ambition in a player's career is to play for your country, so to captain Ireland is a huge honour for me and I was delighted when Declan (Kidney) asked me to."
By Sam Smith
