With Joe Schmidt's Six Nations side to be named this weekend, Brian O'Driscoll has given his pick of a number of players that he would like to see given a chance to feature in the tournament.
Speaking on BT Sport's Rugby Tonight, O'Driscoll highlighted the roles played by three stars who have been standing out for their provinces since the start of the season.
Picking from Munster, Leinster and Ulster, O'Driscoll stated that the squad is likely to have some fresh faces, given the injuries that the Irish head coach will have to deal with.
"There's a few guys [who deserve a chance], particularly with the injury to Sean Cronin and the way that Munster are playing," said O'Driscoll. "Niall Scannell, who hasn't been capped yet, you'd have to imagine that he'll be in the mix.
"Jack Conan had a huge performance last week for Leinster. Again, it's a very competitive back row. He's probably sixth or seventh down the pecking order, but with a couple of injuries he could easily find his way in," he added.
"Even though Ulster have flattered to deceive [...] I think Stuart McCloskey has really put his hand back up again," said the former international. "He didn't feature in the summer tour and didn't feature in November, but he's put in some really big performances and Joe Schmidt has to sit up and pay attention to that."
With the Ireland squad announced on Sunday, BOD tips Niall Scannell and Jack Conan for the nod. #RugbyTonight https://t.co/vZ22vUffwN
— Rugby Tonight (@RugbyTonight) January 18, 2017
Whether or not O'Driscoll's picks will be made clear on Sunday when the squad for the opening two rounds of the Six Nations is named.
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