THE FACT THAT the IRFU press release mentioned 10 injured players who aren’t in Ireland’s 37-man Six Nations squad tells us that Andy Farrell’s group could have had a more familiar look to it.
Ryan Baird, Mack Hansen, Paddy McCarthy, Jordan Larmour, and Shayne Bolton were named as being ruled out of the championship due to injuries.
Andrew Porter, Robbie Henshaw, Jimmy O’Brien, Calvin Nash, and Cormac Izuchukwu were in the separate category of “not currently available,” and the hope is that some of them could come back into the mix later in the Six Nations.
Ulster lock/blindside Izuchukwu is someone Farrell mentioned several times in November, a campaign he missed in its entirety due to injury, so he will hope to get the explosive Tullamore man back from a foot injury as soon as possible.
The Six Nations is a week shorter this year, with only one break weekend after the third round, but there’s no doubt that longstanding stalwarts Henshaw and Porter will be hoping to feature later on.
Yet injuries are part of rugby, and so it is that Farrell’s squad for the 2026 championship has a hint of freshness to it.
The Ireland boss picked a 34-man squad that quickly became a 36-man squad for the November internationals and eight of that group miss out this time around. Some of that is because of the injuries, but there are selection decisions in there, too.
Take, for example, the two uncapped players, Edwin Edogbo and Nathan Doak.
Munster lock Edogbo, who turned 23 last month, proved impossible to overlook. Two long-term Achilles tendon injuries mean he has still only played 24 games for Munster, but the Cobh man has made a hell of an impact on those appearances.
Listed at 127kg by Munster, he is the kind of heavy, powerful tighthead lock that Irish rugby produces very few of. Joe McCarthy is another exception. These big men are important to scrummaging, among other things. Edogbo is about more than size – he has good rugby intelligence, sharp footwork, and excellent breakdown instincts. Still, his physicality is a welcome addition to the Ireland squad.
Edwin Edogbo has impressed for Munster. Tom Maher / INPHO
Tom Maher / INPHO / INPHO
Edogbo would have been involved before now, even before November when injured ruled him out after being named as cover for the main. It’s a massive step up to Test rugby and he is not the finished product, but it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him capped very soon.
With McCarthy back after injury kept him out of the autumn Tests, Ireland have the exciting prospect of bringing Edogbo into a lock rotation also including James Ryan and Tadhg Beirne, albeit the Munster skipper could play at blindside flanker.
As well as welcoming McCarthy back, Farrell has included first-choice fullback Hugo Keenan after he missed November. The Leinster number 15 hasn’t played since the Lions tour due to the hip surgery he had in the wake of that trip, but he is very close to a comeback now. Farrell will clearly back him to get up to speed very quickly.
85-times capped Ulsterman Iain Henderson, who has had many great days in the second row for Ireland, was dealing with a back injury recently but is now available and has been playing well for his province when fit.
Henderson, who came off his IRFU national contract last summer, was part of the group in November but has been left out this time as Farrell calls on Edogbo and fellow Munster man Tom Ahern, a different sort of lock who can also excel at blindside flanker.
In Doak’s case, he’s not a completely fresh face. He was called up by Farrell during the 2024 tour of South Africa after two injuries at scrum-half, but he has earned the third spot in this Six Nations squad with his excellent form for Ulster.
Connacht’s Caolin Blade was the third scrum-half in November and though he has been sidelined in recent weeks, he is due to return imminently. Doak’s quality for Ulster was just hard to ignore. Not only has he continued to kick well out of hand and off the tee, but the experienced 24-year-old, previously regarded as a slower, controlling type of nine, has been entirely comfortable in Ulster’s exciting, transition-based attack.
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Ulster hooker Tom Stewart is another deserved inclusion as Farrell opts for him ahead of Leinster’s Gus McCarthy, who drops into the Ireland XV squad, which Stewart captained in November for the game against Spain.
25-year-old Stewart – who narrowly missed out on 2023 World Cup selection – is playing some of the best rugby of his career and looking more powerful than ever. McCarthy clearly has a big future ahead of him at the age of 22, but Stewart couldn’t be ignored.
Doak and Stewart will be targeting involvement in at least one of Ireland’s Six Nations games against Italy and Wales.
Tom Stewart is in good form. Steve Haag Sports / Darren Stewart/INPHO
Steve Haag Sports / Darren Stewart/INPHO / Darren Stewart/INPHO
Henderson, Blade, and McCarthy appear to be the only players involved last autumn who miss out now based on selection.
This is certainly a far cry from what France have done, with Fabien Galthié leaving Damian Penaud, Grégory Alldritt, and Gaël Fickou out of his Six Nations squad. Farrell would argue that Ireland don’t have French rugby’s depth to call on, and he’s right.
Some of Farrell’s leading players haven’t been in peak form, or simply haven’t played a lot of rugby, and he has essentially kept the faith in everyone who is available.
The two returning faces at loosehead, Munster’s Jeremy Loughman and Michael Milne, benefit from Porter and Paddy McCarthy missing out due to injury.
Jack Boyle has been catapulted to the top of Ireland’s loosehead depth chart and is set to start there against France in the opener on 5 February, while Loughman and Milne will be targeting the bench slot behind him.
Loughman hasn’t featured for Ireland since a sub appearance in the 2024 Six Nations, having also been part of the 2023 World Cup squad. His scrummaging form has been good for Munster recently, one of the reasons Milne has been used off the bench.
Milne is an explosive ball-carrier and won his first two Ireland caps off the bench last summer in Georgia and Portugal. He hoped to kick on from there, but missed out for Ireland in November and has been battling Loughman for top spot in Munster.
Ulster tighthead Tom O’Toole is deservedly back in this Ireland squad thanks to his excellent form. He has trained at loosehead with Ireland in recent seasons and played there off the bench against Fiji in November 2024. But that appearance didn’t go to plan as O’Toole came under scrutiny at the scrum.
Experienced tighthead Finlay Bealham has also switched across for Ireland, starting at loosehead against Georgia back in November 2020. He played there in his youth, but it wasn’t a happy outing and seems unlikely to be repeated. So the lesson from Ireland’s previous experiments is that it is very difficult to suddenly switch across in Test rugby.
O’Toole is one of four tightheads in this squad, along with Thomas Clarkson, Bealham, and Tadhg Furlong, but the fact that Furlong and Bealham are carrying calf and knee injuries, respectively, probably explains why.
Loughman may be the front-runner to back up Boyle, given his scrum form and given the test coming in that area in Paris.
Rob Baloucoune in Ireland XV action last autumn. Martin Seras Lima / INPHO
Martin Seras Lima / INPHO / INPHO
Along with Doak, the fresh faces in the Irish backs contingent are Harry Byrne and Robert Baloucoune.
Farrell hasn’t dispensed with any of his three previous out-halves, Sam Prendergast, Jack Crowley, and Ciarán Frawley, who can also play at fullback and inside centre.
26-year-old Byrne has earned his recall with his fine form for Leinster, where he has looked confident and more mature. His decision-making has been sharper, with fewer errors in his game, and he has kicked well in attack. He also has the best percentage off the tee of Ireland’s out-half options.
Indeed, it’s clear that Byrne is a viable option to play in Paris. His last Irish appearance came off the bench in the 2024 Six Nations, but there is a high chance he will win cap number five sooner rather than later.
Having essentially missed all of last season with injury, 28-year-old Baloucoune has been impressive for Ulster in the current campaign, as well as scoring two tries for the Ireland XV against Spain in November.
Ulster’s style of play has harnessed his unique athleticism. Baloucoune has searing pace and can change direction smoothly at high speed. Capped four times by Ireland, most recently in November 2022, he’s a brave defender and more than capable of winning aerial duels.
The injured Hansen is Ireland’s first-choice right wing, while Nash, Larmour, and Bolton play there too, but Baloucoune has earned this latest shot in the Ireland squad.
Having named Edogbo, Brian Gleeson, and Bolton as cover/development players back in November, Ireland boss will bring Connacht lock Darragh Murray and Ulster back row Bryn Ward along to the pre-Six Nations training camp in Portugal this time around.
24-year-old Murray already has two Ireland caps and trained with them during last year’s Six Nations and November Tests, so he’s clearly well-regarded by Farrell and Paul O’Connell.
21-year-old Ward is a fresh face to this group, but his involvement isn’t a big surprise thanks to his venomous, explosive performances for Ulster.
Having shone for the Ireland U20s in 2024, injury meant Ward had to wait for his Ulster debut until this season. His four starts so far have been exciting. The ability to run over people and smash them in the tackle can never be ignored, so Farrell wants a closer look.
Connacht's Darragh Murray will be part of the pre-Six Nations camp in Portugal. Martin Seras Lima / INPHO
Martin Seras Lima / INPHO / INPHO
Ward’s older brother, Zac, is among the unlucky players to miss out on the senior squad.
27-year-old Ulster wing Ward has been involved with Emerging Ireland and Ireland A since switching into 15s after being a standout player at the 2024 Olympic 7s. His form for Ulster has been on a clear upward trajectory as he has got to grips with playing on the wing – having previously been a back row – so he must have been close.
For now, Ward has to make do with being part of the Ireland XV squad to face England A at Thomond Park on 6 February, the night after Farrell’s men take on France in Paris.
With Jacob Stockdale playing well, making him a contender to start either on the left wing or at fullback for Ireland against the French, and Baloucoune returning alongside incumbent starting wings James Lowe and Tommy O’Brien – both named despite recent injuries – it was tight for space out wide in the Ireland squad.
And so, joining Ward in the XV group is fellow wing JJ Kenny, who is Leinster’s breakthrough story of the season. Another who came from the Ireland 7s squad, 22-year-old Kenny also shares with Ward exciting pace and an utter refusal to accept tackles.
Kenny is obviously still learning the ropes in professional 15s, but if he can keep polishing his game while retaining the exciting unfussiness with which he operates, he will be in consideration for a senior cap soon.
It might have been easier for Farrell to go with a 38-man senior squad and include one of Ward or Kenny, but they were never likely to be handed a debut against France in Paris, so they will play against England A and hope to further press their case. Ward and Kenny on the wings for Ireland XV should be fun.
Indeed, everyone involved in the Ireland XV game will be hoping it’s a springboard to Six Nations involvement.
Milne, Stewart, and O’Toole made up the starting Ireland XV front row against Spain in November, while Byrne shone at out-half, Baloucoune scored two tries from the wing, Murray impressed in the second row, and Doak came off the bench.
Injuries are nearly certain in the Six Nations ahead, so it’s all about putting their hands up in a green jersey.
Exciting Edogbo, Byrne is back, and injuries open Ireland's door
THE FACT THAT the IRFU press release mentioned 10 injured players who aren’t in Ireland’s 37-man Six Nations squad tells us that Andy Farrell’s group could have had a more familiar look to it.
Ryan Baird, Mack Hansen, Paddy McCarthy, Jordan Larmour, and Shayne Bolton were named as being ruled out of the championship due to injuries.
Andrew Porter, Robbie Henshaw, Jimmy O’Brien, Calvin Nash, and Cormac Izuchukwu were in the separate category of “not currently available,” and the hope is that some of them could come back into the mix later in the Six Nations.
Ulster lock/blindside Izuchukwu is someone Farrell mentioned several times in November, a campaign he missed in its entirety due to injury, so he will hope to get the explosive Tullamore man back from a foot injury as soon as possible.
The Six Nations is a week shorter this year, with only one break weekend after the third round, but there’s no doubt that longstanding stalwarts Henshaw and Porter will be hoping to feature later on.
Yet injuries are part of rugby, and so it is that Farrell’s squad for the 2026 championship has a hint of freshness to it.
The Ireland boss picked a 34-man squad that quickly became a 36-man squad for the November internationals and eight of that group miss out this time around. Some of that is because of the injuries, but there are selection decisions in there, too.
Take, for example, the two uncapped players, Edwin Edogbo and Nathan Doak.
Munster lock Edogbo, who turned 23 last month, proved impossible to overlook. Two long-term Achilles tendon injuries mean he has still only played 24 games for Munster, but the Cobh man has made a hell of an impact on those appearances.
Listed at 127kg by Munster, he is the kind of heavy, powerful tighthead lock that Irish rugby produces very few of. Joe McCarthy is another exception. These big men are important to scrummaging, among other things. Edogbo is about more than size – he has good rugby intelligence, sharp footwork, and excellent breakdown instincts. Still, his physicality is a welcome addition to the Ireland squad.
Edogbo would have been involved before now, even before November when injured ruled him out after being named as cover for the main. It’s a massive step up to Test rugby and he is not the finished product, but it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him capped very soon.
With McCarthy back after injury kept him out of the autumn Tests, Ireland have the exciting prospect of bringing Edogbo into a lock rotation also including James Ryan and Tadhg Beirne, albeit the Munster skipper could play at blindside flanker.
As well as welcoming McCarthy back, Farrell has included first-choice fullback Hugo Keenan after he missed November. The Leinster number 15 hasn’t played since the Lions tour due to the hip surgery he had in the wake of that trip, but he is very close to a comeback now. Farrell will clearly back him to get up to speed very quickly.
85-times capped Ulsterman Iain Henderson, who has had many great days in the second row for Ireland, was dealing with a back injury recently but is now available and has been playing well for his province when fit.
Henderson, who came off his IRFU national contract last summer, was part of the group in November but has been left out this time as Farrell calls on Edogbo and fellow Munster man Tom Ahern, a different sort of lock who can also excel at blindside flanker.
In Doak’s case, he’s not a completely fresh face. He was called up by Farrell during the 2024 tour of South Africa after two injuries at scrum-half, but he has earned the third spot in this Six Nations squad with his excellent form for Ulster.
Connacht’s Caolin Blade was the third scrum-half in November and though he has been sidelined in recent weeks, he is due to return imminently. Doak’s quality for Ulster was just hard to ignore. Not only has he continued to kick well out of hand and off the tee, but the experienced 24-year-old, previously regarded as a slower, controlling type of nine, has been entirely comfortable in Ulster’s exciting, transition-based attack.
Ulster hooker Tom Stewart is another deserved inclusion as Farrell opts for him ahead of Leinster’s Gus McCarthy, who drops into the Ireland XV squad, which Stewart captained in November for the game against Spain.
25-year-old Stewart – who narrowly missed out on 2023 World Cup selection – is playing some of the best rugby of his career and looking more powerful than ever. McCarthy clearly has a big future ahead of him at the age of 22, but Stewart couldn’t be ignored.
Doak and Stewart will be targeting involvement in at least one of Ireland’s Six Nations games against Italy and Wales.
Henderson, Blade, and McCarthy appear to be the only players involved last autumn who miss out now based on selection.
This is certainly a far cry from what France have done, with Fabien Galthié leaving Damian Penaud, Grégory Alldritt, and Gaël Fickou out of his Six Nations squad. Farrell would argue that Ireland don’t have French rugby’s depth to call on, and he’s right.
Some of Farrell’s leading players haven’t been in peak form, or simply haven’t played a lot of rugby, and he has essentially kept the faith in everyone who is available.
The two returning faces at loosehead, Munster’s Jeremy Loughman and Michael Milne, benefit from Porter and Paddy McCarthy missing out due to injury.
Jack Boyle has been catapulted to the top of Ireland’s loosehead depth chart and is set to start there against France in the opener on 5 February, while Loughman and Milne will be targeting the bench slot behind him.
Loughman hasn’t featured for Ireland since a sub appearance in the 2024 Six Nations, having also been part of the 2023 World Cup squad. His scrummaging form has been good for Munster recently, one of the reasons Milne has been used off the bench.
Milne is an explosive ball-carrier and won his first two Ireland caps off the bench last summer in Georgia and Portugal. He hoped to kick on from there, but missed out for Ireland in November and has been battling Loughman for top spot in Munster.
Ulster tighthead Tom O’Toole is deservedly back in this Ireland squad thanks to his excellent form. He has trained at loosehead with Ireland in recent seasons and played there off the bench against Fiji in November 2024. But that appearance didn’t go to plan as O’Toole came under scrutiny at the scrum.
Experienced tighthead Finlay Bealham has also switched across for Ireland, starting at loosehead against Georgia back in November 2020. He played there in his youth, but it wasn’t a happy outing and seems unlikely to be repeated. So the lesson from Ireland’s previous experiments is that it is very difficult to suddenly switch across in Test rugby.
O’Toole is one of four tightheads in this squad, along with Thomas Clarkson, Bealham, and Tadhg Furlong, but the fact that Furlong and Bealham are carrying calf and knee injuries, respectively, probably explains why.
Loughman may be the front-runner to back up Boyle, given his scrum form and given the test coming in that area in Paris.
Along with Doak, the fresh faces in the Irish backs contingent are Harry Byrne and Robert Baloucoune.
Farrell hasn’t dispensed with any of his three previous out-halves, Sam Prendergast, Jack Crowley, and Ciarán Frawley, who can also play at fullback and inside centre.
26-year-old Byrne has earned his recall with his fine form for Leinster, where he has looked confident and more mature. His decision-making has been sharper, with fewer errors in his game, and he has kicked well in attack. He also has the best percentage off the tee of Ireland’s out-half options.
Indeed, it’s clear that Byrne is a viable option to play in Paris. His last Irish appearance came off the bench in the 2024 Six Nations, but there is a high chance he will win cap number five sooner rather than later.
Having essentially missed all of last season with injury, 28-year-old Baloucoune has been impressive for Ulster in the current campaign, as well as scoring two tries for the Ireland XV against Spain in November.
Ulster’s style of play has harnessed his unique athleticism. Baloucoune has searing pace and can change direction smoothly at high speed. Capped four times by Ireland, most recently in November 2022, he’s a brave defender and more than capable of winning aerial duels.
The injured Hansen is Ireland’s first-choice right wing, while Nash, Larmour, and Bolton play there too, but Baloucoune has earned this latest shot in the Ireland squad.
Having named Edogbo, Brian Gleeson, and Bolton as cover/development players back in November, Ireland boss will bring Connacht lock Darragh Murray and Ulster back row Bryn Ward along to the pre-Six Nations training camp in Portugal this time around.
24-year-old Murray already has two Ireland caps and trained with them during last year’s Six Nations and November Tests, so he’s clearly well-regarded by Farrell and Paul O’Connell.
21-year-old Ward is a fresh face to this group, but his involvement isn’t a big surprise thanks to his venomous, explosive performances for Ulster.
Having shone for the Ireland U20s in 2024, injury meant Ward had to wait for his Ulster debut until this season. His four starts so far have been exciting. The ability to run over people and smash them in the tackle can never be ignored, so Farrell wants a closer look.
Ward’s older brother, Zac, is among the unlucky players to miss out on the senior squad.
27-year-old Ulster wing Ward has been involved with Emerging Ireland and Ireland A since switching into 15s after being a standout player at the 2024 Olympic 7s. His form for Ulster has been on a clear upward trajectory as he has got to grips with playing on the wing – having previously been a back row – so he must have been close.
For now, Ward has to make do with being part of the Ireland XV squad to face England A at Thomond Park on 6 February, the night after Farrell’s men take on France in Paris.
With Jacob Stockdale playing well, making him a contender to start either on the left wing or at fullback for Ireland against the French, and Baloucoune returning alongside incumbent starting wings James Lowe and Tommy O’Brien – both named despite recent injuries – it was tight for space out wide in the Ireland squad.
And so, joining Ward in the XV group is fellow wing JJ Kenny, who is Leinster’s breakthrough story of the season. Another who came from the Ireland 7s squad, 22-year-old Kenny also shares with Ward exciting pace and an utter refusal to accept tackles.
Kenny is obviously still learning the ropes in professional 15s, but if he can keep polishing his game while retaining the exciting unfussiness with which he operates, he will be in consideration for a senior cap soon.
It might have been easier for Farrell to go with a 38-man senior squad and include one of Ward or Kenny, but they were never likely to be handed a debut against France in Paris, so they will play against England A and hope to further press their case. Ward and Kenny on the wings for Ireland XV should be fun.
Indeed, everyone involved in the Ireland XV game will be hoping it’s a springboard to Six Nations involvement.
Milne, Stewart, and O’Toole made up the starting Ireland XV front row against Spain in November, while Byrne shone at out-half, Baloucoune scored two tries from the wing, Murray impressed in the second row, and Doak came off the bench.
Injuries are nearly certain in the Six Nations ahead, so it’s all about putting their hands up in a green jersey.
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andy farrell Changes Six Nations Ireland Selection Squad