Ireland's World Cup campaign kicks off this weekend with a warm up match against Wales, and while these next few games in advance of the tournament are friendly, there will definitely be opportunities for players on the fringe to stake a claim as important members of the squad.
Joe Schmidt has shown in the past that he's willing to reward a good performance in a warmup game with a chance at the highest level, and it will be a key time for the manager to get a
Starting Lineup:
Jamie Heaslip (C)
Tommy O'Donnell
Jordi Murphy
Donnacha Ryan
Iain Henderson
Mike Ross
Richardt Strauss
Jack McGrath
Eoin Reddan
Paddy Jackson
Fergus McFadden
Darren Cave
Keith Earls
Andrew Trimble
Felix Jones
Replacements: Rory Best, David Kilcoyne, Michael Bent, Dan Tuohy, Chris Henry, Kieran Marmion, Ian Madigan
In naming his squad, Schmidt acknowledged that many of the players in this side had missed out before through injury or being forced to the fringes by other players in form, and that they perhaps haven't gotten their opportunities.
He also emphasised that the important part was making sure that the group as a whole was match fit, and that they were well prepared as they head towards the start of the World Cup.
Download the brand new OffTheBall App in the Play Store & App Store right now! We've got you covered!
Subscribe to OffTheBall's YouTube channel for more videos, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for the latest sporting news and content.
