Kidney includes five uncapped players in Irish squad

Ireland have included five uncapped players among a 32-man squad named ahead of Sunday’s RBS Six Nations opener against Wales.

Wings David Kearney and Simon Zebo are present after scoring a try apiece in the Irish Wolfhounds’ 23-17 defeat by England Saxons on Friday.

Centre Eoin O’Malley, back row Peter O’Mahony and prop Brett Wilkinson also feature.

Scrum-halves Tomas O’Leary and Isaac Boss have failed to make it into the 32, while second row Leo Cullen has also been omitted from the squad.

Ireland coach Declan Kidney names the team to face Wales at lunchtime tomorrow with the key talking point being who will play at outside centre in place of Brian O’Driscoll.

O’Driscoll has been ruled out of the entire Six Nations after undergoing shoulder surgery, leaving Keith Earls, Tommy Bowe, Fergus McFadden and Andrew Trimble to compete for the No 13 jersey. Jonathan Sexton is likely to be preferred ahead of Ronan O’Gara at fly-half while Eoin Reddan and Conor Murray are in contention at scrum-half.

Ireland squad.

Forwards: R Best (Ulster), T Bowe (Ospreys), T Court (Ulster), S Cronin (Leinster), S Ferris (Ulster), C Healy (Leinster), J Heaslip (Leinster), C Henry (Ulster), S Jennings (Leinster), S O’Brien (Leinster), D O’Callaghan (Munster), P O’Connell (Munster), P O’Mahony (Munster), M Ross (Leinster), D Ryan (Munster), R Ruddock (Leinster), D Tuohy (Ulster), B Wilkinson (Connacht).

Backs: G D’Arcy (Leinster), K Earls (Munster), D Hurley (Munster), R Kearney (Leinster), D Kearney (Leinster), F McFadden (Leinster), C Murray (Munster), R O’Gara (Munster), E O’Malley (Leinster), E Reddan (Leinster), J Sexton (Leinster), A Trimble (Ulster), P Wallace (Ulster), S Zebo (Munster).