Declan Kidney has given an early indication of which Irish players could be pressing for inclusion on the 2009 Lions tour to South Africa after naming his first international squad since becoming head coach of Ireland.
Kidney, who took over from Eddie O’Sullivan having led Munster to Heineken Cup glory last season, has selected nine former Lions in his 45-man squad for next week’s four-day training camp in Cork.
Gordon D’Arcy, Shane Horgan, Geordan Murphy, Donncah O’Callaghan, Paul O’Connell, Rona O’Gara, Malcolm O’Kelly, Brian O’Driscoll and David Wallace are all included having toured with the Lions previously.
There are recalls for Leinster lock Leo Cullen and Ulster centre Andrew Trimble who, alongside D’Arcy, both missed Ireland’s summer tour to New Zealand and Australia because of injury.
Munster’s Keith Earls and Donncha Ryan also win call ups, while there are places for English and Welsh-based players Neil Best and Roger Wilson of Northampton Saints, Tommy Bowe of Ospreys, Bob Casey from London Irish, Eoin Reddan from Wasps and Mike Ross of Harlequins.
”The camp is an opportunity for the coaching staff to work with the players and set some foundations ahead of what is going to be an important November for us,” said Kidney.
”Once we get into September, it really is a short space of time before we will arrive at our first camp ahead of the November games, so it will be important to our preparation.
”We have a new blend of experience in the coaching staff, and we felt this camp would be key to getting the ideas of both the staff and players across ahead of the new season.”
Ireland squad for Cork training camp
N Best (Northampton), R Best (Ulster), I Boss (Ulster), T Bowe (Ospreys), T Buckley (Munster), R Caldwell (Ulster), B Casey (London Irish), T Court (Ulster), L Cullen (Leinster), G D’Arcy (Leinster), G Dempsey (Leicester), I Dowling (Munster), G Duffy (Connacht), K Earls (Munster), S Ferris (Ulster), L Fitzgerald (Leinster), J Flannery (Munster), J Hayes (Munster), C Healy (Leinster), J Heaslip (Leinster), M Horan (Munster), S Horgan (Leinster), B Jackman (Leinster), S Jennings (Leinster), R Kearney (Leinster), D Leamy (Munster), G Murphy (Leicester), D O’Callaghan (Munster), P O’Connell (Munster), R O’Gara (Munster), M O’Kelly (Leinster), B O’Driscoll (Leinster), M O’Driscoll (Munster), T O’Leary (Munster), A Quinlan (Munster), E Reddan (Wasps), M Ross (Harlequins), D Ryan (Munster), J Sexton (Leinster), P Stringer (Munster), A Trimble (Ulster), D Wallace (Munster), P Wallace (Ulster), R Wilson (Northampton), B Young (Ulster)
