Five players released from Ireland squad ahead of Rugby World Cup

In a repeat of the process from four years ago, the Irish management have released five players from the original 42-man training squad for the forthcoming World Cup.

Connacht’s Caolin Blade, the Munster duo of Gavin Coombes and Calvin Nash, plus Leinster’s Jamie Osborne and the Ulster lock Kieran Treadwell “will now return to their Provinces to continue their preseason training programmes” according to an IRFU statement.

With Munster prop Jeremy Loughman having been called up this week, there are now 38 players training in the squad. The final 33-man Ireland squad for Rugby World Cup 2023 will be announced on Monday, 28 August.

The revised, 38-man Irish training squad:

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Forwards: Rob Herring (Ulster), Ronan Kelleher (Leinster), Dan Sheehan (Leinster), Tom Stewart (Ulster)*, Finlay Bealham (Connacht), Tadhg Furlong (Leinster), Cian Healy (Leinster), Dave Kilcoyne (Munster), Jeremy Loughman (Munster), Tom O’Toole (Ulster), Andrew Porter (Leinster), Ryan Baird (Leinster), Tadhg Beirne (Munster), Iain Henderson (Ulster), Joe McCarthy (Leinster), James Ryan (Leinster), Jack Conan (Leinster), Caelan Doris (Leinster), Peter O’Mahony (Munster), Cian Prendergast (Connacht), Josh van der Flier (Leinster).

Backs: Craig Casey (Munster), Jamison Gibson-Park (Leinster), Conor Murray (Munster), Ross Byrne (Leinster), Jack Crowley (Munster), Ciaran Frawley (Leinster)*, Jonathan Sexton (Leinster), Bundee Aki (Connacht), Robbie Henshaw (Leinster), Stuart McCloskey (Ulster), Garry Ringrose (Leinster), Keith Earls (Munster), Mack Hansen (Connacht), Hugo Keenan (Leinster), James Lowe (Leinster), Jimmy O’Brien (Leinster), Jacob Stockdale (Ulster).