SEXTON, O’BRIEN AND EARLS AVAILABLE FOR SIX NATIONS

Confirmation from the Ireland camp has it that the likes of Johnny Sexton, Sean O’Brien and Keith Earls would be available for selection in preparation for the country’s opening Six Nations Championship match, where they would go head-on with Scotland.

The venue is Murrayfield, on a Saturday.

While the trio will be joining in trainings ahead of the game, the official communique released by Paul Den, the new Ireland manager, has it that due to a recurrence of an existing groin injury, Andrew Conway has been ruled out of the game. He already is back to Munster where he would undergo treatment.

Commenting on the news, Dean had explained,
“It’s all positive [news] this week with one exception Andrew Conway aggravated an existing groin complaint. Unfortunately he is not with us and has been ruled out of the Scotland game.”

Rob Kearney is another player that would be looking to prove his fitness levels. Earlier in December, he had sustained an ankle injury in a showdown with the Northampton Saints.

In their Champions Cup matches against Montpellier and CastresOlympique, he came off the bench in order to prove his fitness. Kearney, who sat alongside Dean, was asked about how he feels about the pressure on him to improve fitness so as to retain his place in the squad. He said,

“It’s not in the slightest for the first time. I’ve been feeling like that for a long, long time, right back to [when] Geordan [Murphy] and Girvan [Dempsey were playing].

“I’m fully aware of the huge level of competition that’s there. It’s really important now that with the depth there right across the whole board, I know if I’m not playing well I won’t be there too long,” he concluded.