Ireland head coach Andy Farrell has named his 33-man squad for the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France.
The squad features a blend of experience and youth, with captain Johnny Sexton and Peter O’Mahony both returning after missing the 2019 World Cup. There are also first call-ups for Mack Hansen, Jimmy O’Brien, and Cian Prendergast.
Hansen is a young winger who has been in impressive form for Connacht, while O’Brien is a versatile back who can play at wing or fullback. Prendergast is a back-row forward who has been in good form for Connacht and Ulster.
The squad is as follows:
Forwards:
- Ryan Baird (Leinster)
- Finlay Bealham (Connacht)
- Tadhg Beirne (Munster)
- Jack Conan (Leinster)
- Gavin Coombes (Munster)
- Tadhg Furlong (Leinster)
- Cian Healy (Leinster)
- Dave Kilcoyne (Munster)
- Jeremy Loughman (Munster)
- Peter O’Mahony (captain, Munster)
- James Ryan (Leinster)
- Dan Sheehan (Leinster)
- Nick Timoney (Ulster)
- Josh van der Flier (Leinster)
- Ronan Kelleher (Leinster)
Backs:
- Hugo Keenan (Leinster)
- Mack Hansen (Connacht)
- Joey Carbery (Munster)
- Keith Earls (Munster)
- Robbie Henshaw (Leinster)
- James Hume (Ulster)
- Stuart McCloskey (Ulster)
- Bundee Aki (Connacht)
- Jamison Gibson-Park (Leinster)
- Conor Murray (Munster)
- Johnny Sexton (captain, Leinster)
- Gareth Ringrose (Leinster)
- Jimmy O’Brien (Leinster)
- Cian Prendergast (Connacht)
Ireland are drawn in Pool B alongside South Africa, Scotland, Tonga and Romania.
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They will begin their campaign against Romania in Bordeaux on September 9, 2023.
Farrell said: “We are excited to announce our squad for the Rugby World Cup. It is a talented group of players who have worked hard to earn their selection.
“We have a challenging pool but we are confident in our ability to compete and win. We are looking forward to the tournament and giving it our best.”
Ireland are one of the favorites to win the Rugby World Cup in 2023. They have a strong squad with a good mix of experience and youth. They will be looking to go one step further than their last World Cup campaign, when they lost to England in the quarterfinals in 2019.
The squad features a number of experienced players who will be key to Ireland’s chances, including Sexton, O’Mahony, and Murray. There are also a number of exciting young players in the squad, such as Hansen, O’Brien, and Prendergast.
Ireland will be hoping to make a deep run at the World Cup and challenge for the title. They have a tough pool to navigate, but they have the talent and experience to do so.
