Ireland open their Six Nations campaign by hosting Scotland on Saturday, February 1, in Dublin (4.45pm kick-off)
Tuesday 28 January 2020 12:14, UK
As Ireland look to recover from a poor 2019, what will new head coach Andy Farrell be able to achieve?
Two years on from a Grand Slam success, a year on from a poor Six Nations campaign and nearly four months from yet another Rugby World Cup quarter-final exit, Farrell faces a tough task in the post-Joe Schmidt era.
Here's everything you need to know ahead of Ireland's opening clash with Scotland in Dublin...
Leinster are having a remarkable season to date, having won 19 straight games, topped the Champions Cup pool stages as No 1 seeds and comfortably sitting atop their PRO14 conference.
Some 16 of the 36-man Ireland squad are coming in from the Leinster set-up and on a high, among them some the top-performing youngsters in Europe, such as back-rows Caelan Doris and Max Deegan, and hooker Ronan Kelleher.
Ireland, despite ropy form, do still also contain some of the best players in world rugby within their ranks. On their day, Cian Healy, Tadhg Furlong, James Ryan, Iain Henderson, Peter O'Mahony, Conor Murray, Johnny Sexton, Garry Ringrose, Robbie Henshaw, Keith Earls and Jacob Stockdale would have a shout of making most line-ups.
Two of the provinces have struggled so far this season in the shape of Munster and Connacht, indeed both are already out of Europe - something highly unusual for customary powerhouses Munster in particular.
Form has also been an issue some of Ireland's top players since the World Cup. In fact, several have failed to hit the heights of their previous 2018 performances and success for some time.
Sexton, named as Ireland's new captain after the retirement of Rory Best, has also been struggling with a knee complaint, while injuries deprive Ireland of the qualities of Joey Carbery, Tadhg Beirne, Jack Conan and Dan Leavy.
A lot. Joe Schmidt departed as Ireland head coach after World Cup elimination, and in his place, Farrell has stepped up from defence coach to the top job.
Further coaching appointments have come in the form of Mike Catt as assistant coach and John Fogarty as scrum coach, while Simon Easterby will shift roles to cover defence too.
In the playing staff, hooker and skipper Best has retired, while full-back Rob Kearney has been overlooked for the squad. In fact, 11 players from Ireland's World Cup squad are absent in total: Best (retired), Kearney, Rhys Ruddock, Niall Scannell, Sean Cronin, Jack Carty, John Ryan, Jean Kleyn, Beirne (injured), Carbery (injured), Conan (injured).
Within the playing group, there are five uncapped players included: Ulster's Billy Burns and Tom O'Toole and Leinster trio Deegan, Doris and Kelleher.
James Ryan. Sexton may have been named as the new captain, but it must have been a tight call between him and Ryan - which says a lot considering the second row is still just 23-years-old.
While form deserted the majority of Ireland's players at the World Cup in Japan, the one who can point to consistency in performance at the highest level is Ryan, whose appetite for work with regards to carries and tackles is outstanding.
The lock will have a big say in how Ireland's lineout goes too, and the next challenge for him is to grow in influence at the set-piece.
A future Ireland captain, no doubt, and a vital man already.
Forwards (19): Max Deegan, Caelan Doris, Ultan Dillane, Tadgh Furlong, Cian Healy, Dave Heffernan, Iain Henderson, Rob Herring, Ronan Kelleher, Dave Kilcoyne, Jack McGrath, Jack O'Donoghue, Peter O'Mahony, Tom O'Toole, Andrew Porter, James Ryan, CJ Stander, Devin Toner, Josh van der Flier.
Backs (17): Will Addison, Bundee Aki, Billy Burns, Ross Byrne, Andrew Conway, John Cooney, Keith Earls, Chris Farrell, Robbie Henshaw, Dave Kearney, Jordan Larmour, Luke McGrath, Conor Murray, Garry Ringrose, Jonathan Sexton (c), Jacob Stockdale, Stuart McCloskey.
