The Ireland team to open the Five Nations Championship against Scotland at Lansdowne Road on Saturday week will be announced tomorrow morning at 10.0 a.m.
The two areas which may cause the selectors most headaches are the midfield and the balance of the back row.
The Irish squad have a training session at the ALSAA complex today but Nick Popplewell will not be participating - he notified the manager Pat Whelan yesterday that he had a stomach bug. Justin Fitzpatrick has been called in.
Centre Jamie Mayer is the only doubt for Scotland Under-21 for their opening Five Nations match against Ireland in Dublin next week. Mayer has picked up calf and knee injuries.
Scotland Under-21 (v Ireland, Clontarf, February 6th): S Moffat (Rotherham), G Caldwell (Currie), A Bulloch (West of Scotland), J Mayer (Watsonians), M Tweedie (Stewart's Melville FP), G Ross (Heriot's FP), R Sharples (Blackheath), S Paris (Watsonians), A Nielson (Stirling Co), J Hoyle (Aberdeen GSFP), J White (Watsonians), G McCallum (Boroughmuir), J Petrie (Dundee HSFP), F Gladstone (Loughborough Univ), I Sinclair (Watsonians, capt). Replacements: G Kiddie (Boroughmuir), C Paterson (Gala), R Chrystie (Hawick), C Rae (Stirling Co), A Jacobsen (Preston Lodge FP), R Balmer (Stirling Co), C Keenan (Stirling Co).
