Irish coach puts faith in old guard

Ireland coach Declan Kidney has relied entirely on last year's World Cup squad for his initial 24-man squad for the Six Nations which was named on Wednesday.

Although Ireland reached only the quarterfinals in New Zealand before losing to Six Nations rivals Wales, Kidney has opted to use his experienced players as the basis of his final squad.

But six uncapped players will train with Ireland for a week and Kidney could call upon any of them for the February 5 opener against Wales if they impress.

Kidney also selected a 22-man Wolfhounds squad for a match against England's second-string Saxons and could draft in any of those if required.

"The Wolfhounds game gives myself and the other coaches one final chance to give games to players to see possible options before we settle on our matchday 22," Kidney said.

"It also gives us the opportunity to have a closer look in training at some of the younger players, rather than bringing in more experienced players.

"It's a new tournament for us and for everybody involved, so irrespective of the highs and lows of the World Cup, it is a fresh and exciting challenge for us," he added.

With captain Brian O'Driscoll ruled out because of injury, Munster lock Paul O'Connell will lead the side in his absence.

Ireland squad:

Forwards: Rory Best, Tom Court, Sean Cronin, Leo Cullen, Stephen Ferris, Cian Healy, Jamie Heaslip, Shane Jennings, Sean O'Brien, Donncha O'Callaghan, Paul O'Connell (captain), Mike Ross, Donnacha Ryan.

Backs: Tommy Bowe, Gordon D'Arcy, Keith Earls, Rob Kearney, Fergus McFadden, Conor Murray, Ronan O'Gara, Eoin Reddan, Jonathan Sexton, Andrew Trimble, Paddy Wallace.

Additional players: Andrew Conway, Paddy McAllister, Ian Nagle, Tiernan O'Halloran, Peter O'Mahony, Simon Zebo.