Crowley and Coombes included in Ireland's Six Nations squad

WEST Cork duo Jack Crowley and Gavin Coombes have been named in Ireland's 37-man squad for the Guinness Six Nations Championship.

Innishannon man Crowley made his Ireland debut in the 35-17 win over Fiji at the Aviva Stadium last November and then started against Australia. His Munster team-mate Coombes also has two senior international caps and will be hoping for a chance to make an impression following his impressive recent form.

First up for Ireland is an away trip to Cardiff to face Wales on Saturday, February 4th. Then Ireland host France at the Aviva Stadium before two away games, to Italy and Scotland. Finally, Ireland host England in their final game of the competition.

'The Six Nations is a huge competition for us and another opportunity for us to grow as group. 2022 was a busy year as we got to work with a larger group of players as we continued to build our squad depth and competition for places,' head coach Andy Farrell said.

'While there are a few players carrying knocks and others that have missed out on selection for the start of the tournament, they will have the opportunity to push their case playing for their provinces in the URC over the coming weeks as no doubt we will need to call upon the wider group as the tournament progresses.'