Ireland name 33-man RWC squad with four Limerick representatives

Sexton is one of three Ireland players set to appear at their fourth Rugby World Cup alongside Limerick duo Murray and recent Test centurion Earls.

Head Coach Andy Farrell has announced his 33-player Ireland squad for the 2023 Rugby World Cup, with Jonathan Sexton named to captain the team in France.

In total there are eight Munster men included, with four of those from Limerick in Keith Earls, Conor Murray, Craig Casey and Dave Kilcoyne. They join provincial mates Peter O’Mahony, Tadhg Beirne, Jeremy Loughman and Jack Crowley.

Sexton is one of three Ireland players set to appear at their fourth Rugby World Cup, with the captain having featured at the 2011, 2015 and 2019 editions alongside Murray and recent Test centurion Earls.

The Ireland squad will depart Dublin for their base camp in Tours on Thursday, as preparations step up a gear for the Rugby World Cup Pool B opener against Romania in Bordeaux on Saturday, 9 September (Kick-off 2.30pm Irish time/3.30pm local time).

There is a wealth of Rugby World Cup experience throughout the 33-player travelling squad, as Tadhg Furlong, Iain Henderson, Robbie Henshaw and O’Mahony prepare for their third global tournament, while Bundee Aki, Beirne, Jack Conan, Kilcoyne, Andrew Porter, James Ryan, Garry Ringrose and Josh van der Flier were all involved in Japan four years ago.

The remaining 18 players in Farrell’s squad will be making their Rugby World Cup debuts in France. Forwards Ryan Baird, Finlay Bealham, Loughman, Caelan Doris, Rob Herring, Ronan Kelleher, Joe McCarthy, Tom O’Toole and Dan Sheehan and backs Ross Byrne, Casey, Crowley, Jamison Gibson-Park, Mack Hansen, Hugo Keenan, Stuart McCloskey, James Lowe and Jimmy O’Brien all earn selection following Ireland’s Bank of Ireland Nations Series wins over Italy, England and Samoa.

Ireland open their Pool B campaign against Romania at Stade de Bordeaux, before taking on Tonga in their second outing in Nantes on Saturday, 16 September (Kick-off 8pm Irish time/9pm local time).

Farrell’s side then move on to the Stade de France in Paris for clashes against defending champions South Africa on Saturday, 23 September (Kick-off 8pm Irish time/9pm local time) and Scotland on Saturday, 7 October (Kick-off 8pm Irish time/9pm local time).

Ireland’s Rugby World Cup campaign is live on RTE and Virgin Media in Republic of Ireland and ITV in Northern Ireland and the United Kingdom.

Ireland Squad – Rugby World Cup 2023

Forwards (18):

Ryan Baird (Leinster/Dublin University)(13)
Finlay Bealham (Connacht/Buccaneers)(32)
Tadhg Beirne (Munster/Lansdowne)(41)
Jack Conan (Leinster/Old Belvedere)(39)
Caelan Doris (Leinster/St Mary’s College)(31)
Tadhg Furlong (Leinster/Clontarf)(67)
Iain Henderson (Ulster/Academy)(74)
Rob Herring (Ulster/Ballynahinch)(37)
Ronan Kelleher (Leinster/Lansdowne)(21)
David Kilcoyne (Munster/UL Bohemians)(52)
Jeremy Loughman (Munster/Garryowen)(3)
Joe McCarthy (Leinster/Dublin University)(3)
Peter O’Mahony (Munster/Cork Constitution)(96)
Tom O’Toole (Ulster/Ballynahinch)(11)
Andrew Porter (Leinster/UCD)(54)
James Ryan (Leinster/UCD)(55)
Dan Sheehan (Leinster/Lansdowne)(18)
Josh van der Flier (Leinster/UCD)(52)

Backs (15):

Bundee Aki (Connacht/Galwegians)(47)
Ross Byrne (Leinster/UCD)(21)
Craig Casey (Munster/Shannon)(12)
Jack Crowley (Munster/Cork Constitution)(6)
Keith Earls (Munster/Young Munster)(100)
Jamison Gibson-Park (Leinster)(26)
Mack Hansen (Connacht/Corinthians)(16)
Robbie Henshaw (Leinster/Buccaneers)(64)
Hugo Keenan (Leinster/UCD)(31)
James Lowe (Leinster)(21)
Stuart McCloskey (Ulster/Bangor)(13)
Conor Murray (Munster/Garryowen)(106)
Jimmy O’Brien (Leinster/Naas)(6)
Garry Ringrose (Leinster/UCD)(51)
Jonathan Sexton (Leinster/St Mary’s College)(captain)(113)

Ireland Fixtures, Rugby World Cup 2023:

Pool B: 

• Ireland v Romania, Saturday 9 September, Stade de Bordeaux (2.30pm Irish time/3.30pm local time)
• Ireland v Tonga, Saturday 16 September, Stade de la Beaujoire (8pm Irish time/9pm local time)
• Ireland v South Africa, Saturday 23 September, Stade de France (8pm Irish time/9pm local time)
• Ireland v Scotland, Saturday 7 October, Stade de France (8pm Irish time/9pm local time).