Ireland name six uncapped players in Six Nations squad

Ireland on Thursday named six uncapped players in a 35-strong squad to complete the final rounds of the interrupted 2020 Six Nations.

Andy Farrell's team take on Italy in Dublin on 24 October before facing France in Paris the following week.

Ireland sit fourth in the Six Nations table, one point behind Scotland and four points behind England and France, who have all played an extra game.

The competition was postponed in March due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The six uncapped players in the squad, captained by Johnny Sexton, are Ryan Baird, Ed Byrne, Will Connors, Shane Daly, Hugo Keenan and New Zealand-born scrum-half Jamison Gibson-Park.

"There has been a huge effort right across Irish Rugby to ensure that the professional game could return safely and that work is greatly appreciated by the national management," said head coach Farrell.

"We have protocols in place to safeguard the welfare of the players and staff and are looking forward to completing the Six Nations championship.

"We have two competitions to play in over the coming months but will focus first on a strong finish to the Six Nations."

Following the conclusion of the Six Nations, Ireland take part in the eight-nation Autumn Nations Cup, which replaces the traditional international test window.

IRELAND SQUAD:

Forwards: Ryan Baird (Leinster), Finlay Bealham (Connacht), Tadhg Beirne (Munster), Ed Byrne (Leinster), Will Connors (Leinster), Jack Conan (Leinster), Caelan Doris (Leinster), Cian Healy (Leinster), Dave Heffernan (Connacht), Iain Henderson (Ulster), Rob Herring (Ulster), Ronan Kelleher (Leinster), Peter O'Mahony (Munster), Andrew Porter (Leinster), Quinn Roux (Connacht), James Ryan (Leinster), John Ryan (Munster), CJ Stander (Munster), Josh van der Flier (Leinster)

Backs: Bundee Aki (Connacht), Ross Byrne (Leinster), Jack Carty (Connacht), Andrew Conway (Munster), Shane Daly (Munster), Chris Farrell (Munster), Jamison Gibson-Park (Leinster), Robbie Henshaw (Leinster), Hugo Keenan (Leinster), Jordan Larmour (Leinster), Kieran Marmion (Connacht), Stuart McCloskey (Ulster), Conor Murray (Munster), Garry Ringrose (Leinster), Jonathan Sexton (Leinster), Jacob Stockdale (Ulster).