Ireland Rugby World Cup Squad Announcement

Ireland coach Declan Kidney today announced the 30 man squad for the Rugby World Cup in New Zealand. The squad will be captained by Brian O’Driscoll and contains a split of sixteen forwards and fourteen backs.

Fifteen players will be travelling to the Rugby World Cup for the first time including the recently capped Fergus McFadden and Conor Murray. Nine of the forwards forwards will be making their first appearance at a Rugby World Cup Squad while six of the backs will make their tournament debut.

Ireland play their final Guinness Summer Series game against England on Saturday in Aviva Stadium and fly out to New Zealand the following Tuesday.

Ireland Rugby World Cup Squad 2011

Rory Best (Banbridge/Ulster)
Isaac Boss (Terenure College/Leinster)
Tommy Bowe (Ospreys)*
Tony Buckley (Sale Sharks)*
Tom Court (Malone/Ulster)*
Sean Cronin (Leinster)*
Leo Cullen (Blackrock College/Leinster)*
Gordon D’Arcy (Lansdowne/Leinster)
Keith Earls (Young Munster/Munster)*
Stephen Ferris (Dungannon/Ulster)

Jerry Flannery (Shannon/Munster)
Cian Healy (Clontarf/Leinster)*
Jamie Heaslip (Naas/Leinster)*
Rob Kearney (UCD/Leinster)*
Denis Leamy (Cork Constitution/Munster)
Fergus McFadden (Old Belvedere/Leinster)*
Geordan Murphy (Leicester Tigers)
Conor Murray (Garryowen/Munster)*
Sean O’Brien (Clontarf/Leinster)*
Donncha O’Callaghan (Cork Constitution/Munster)
Paul O’Connell (Young Munster/Munster)
Brian O’Driscoll (UCD/Leinster) Captain
Ronan O’Gara (Cork Constitution/Munster)
Eoin Reddan (Lansdowne/Leinster)
Mike Ross (Clontarf/Leinster)*
Donnacha Ryan (Shannon/Munster)*
Jonathan Sexton (St. Mary’s College/Leinster)*
Andrew Trimble (Ballymena/Ulster)
Paddy Wallace (Ballymena/Ulster)
David Wallace (Garryowen/Munster)

*Denotes first Rugby World Cup