Having been denied the services of some senior campaigners through injury Ireland coach Eddie O'Sullivan has opted for new blood in naming an extended squad for his autumn training camp.
Props Simon Best and John Hayes miss out through injury but their absence offers a chance to new faces John Fogarty and Tom Court, who both impressed in the Churchill Cup in the summer.
The inclusion in the 34-man squad of Jamie Heaslip, Paddy Wallace and Matt McCullough also owes a lot to their performances in the same competition, though all three have been involved at this level before.
"The Churchill Cup has opened up other possible options, so we felt it was worth bringing some of the players into the senior set up to take a closer look at them and monitor their progress," O'Sullivan said when naming the squad today.
There are places too for those returning from injury. Frankie Sheahan, Simon Easterby, Eoin Reddan and John Kelly all missed the summer tour to New Zealand but are fit for selection now.
O'Sullivan today stressed that those who were not included are not out of the reckoning. Injury has robbed the coach of the experienced Malcolm O'Kelly, formidable Jerry Flannery and effervescent Johnny O'Connor, but there is also no place for the likes of Leicester's openside Shane Jennings.
"While this camp allows us to look at our options, there are some players who toured New Zealand and Australia during the summer who are not part of this training camp, but this does not mean that these players will not be considered or figure in the Autumn Internationals," insisted O'Sullivan today.
Meanwhile the IRFU has expressed its regret at the imminent departure of high performance manager Steven Anderson, who will return to Australia at the end of the month for family reasons.
IRFU Director of Rugby Eddie Wigglesworth today praised Anderson's "immense" contribution "to the development of the IRFU PWC high performance system."
The training camp will run from September 17th - 20th.
Ireland Mini Camp Squad
Forwards (18): Rory Best (Belfast Harlequins/Ulster), Neil Best (Belfast Harlequins/Ulster), Peter Bracken (Wasps), Tom Court (Dungannon/Ulster), Simon Easterby (Llanelli), John Fogarty (Buccaneers/Connacht), Keith Gleeson (St.Mary's College/Leinster), Jamie Heaslip (Clontarf/Leinster), Marcus Horan (Shannon/Munster), Denis Leamy (Cork Constitution/Munster), Matt McCullough (Ballymena/Ulster), Donncha O'Callaghan (Cork Constitution/Munster), Paul O'Connell (Young Munster/Munster), Mick O'Driscoll (Cork Constitution/Munster), Alan Quinlan (Shannon/Munster), Frankie Sheahan (Cork Constitution/Munster), David Wallace (Garryowen/Munster), Bryan Young (Ballymena/Ulster)
Backs (16): Isaac Boss (Ballymena/Ulster), Tommy Bowe (Belfast Harlequins/Ulster), Girvan Dempsey (Terenure College/Leinster), Gavin Duffy (Harlequins), Anthony Horgan (Cork Constitution/Munster), Shane Horgan (Lansdowne/Leinster), Denis Hickie (St.Mary's College/Leinster), John Kelly (Cork Constitution/Munster), Geordan Murphy (Leicester), Brian O'Driscoll (Blackrock College/Leinster), Ronan O'Gara (Cork Constitution/Munster) Eoin Reddan (Wasps), Jeremy Staunton (Wasps), Peter Stringer (Shannon/Munster), Andrew Trimble (Ballymena/Ulster), Paddy Wallace (Ballymena/Ulster)
Not considered due to injury: Simon Best (Belfast Harlequins/Ulster) {Leg), Gordon D'Arcy (Lansdowne/Leinster) {Shoulder}, Jerry Flannery (Shannon/Munster) {Shoulder}, John Hayes (Bruff/Munster) {Ankle}, Johnny O'Connor (Wasps) {Neck}, Malcolm O'Kelly (St.Mary's College/Leinster) {Groin}
