Ireland head coach Joe Schmidt has named eight uncapped players in his 31-man squad for this summer’s tour to Japan and America. Connacht hooker Dave Heffernan, Ulster lock Kieran Treadwell and Leinster's Andrew Porter and James Ryan are the forwards included. The backs are Connacht scrum-half John Cooney, Leinster's Rory O’Loughlin, Ulster's Jacob Stockdale and Munster centre Rory Scannell. There's no place for Darren Sweetnam, Donnacha Ryan or injured pair Jamie Heaslip and Rob Kearney.
Ireland Squad Summer Tour 2017 - USA & Japan
Forwards
Finlay Bealham (Buccaneers/Connacht) 6 caps
Jack Conan (Old Belvedere/Leinster) 1 cap
Cian Healy (Clontarf/Leinster) 67 caps
Dave Heffernan (Connacht/Buccaneers)*
Dave Kilcoyne (UL Bohemians/Munster) 17 caps
Dan Leavy (UCD/Leinster) 2 caps
Tommy O'Donnell (UL Bohemians/Munster) 12 caps
Jack O'Donoghue (UL Bohemians/Munster) 1 cap
Andrew Porter (UCD/Leinster)*
Rhys Ruddock (St Mary's College/Leinster) 13 caps
James Ryan (UCD/Leinster)*
John Ryan (Cork Constitution/Munster) 6 caps
Niall Scannell (Dolphin/Munster) 4 caps
Devin Toner (Lansdowne/Leinster) 47 caps
James Tracy (UCD/Leinster) 2 caps
Kieran Treadwell (Ballymena/Ulster)*
Josh van der Flier (UCD/Leinster) 7 caps
Backs
Joey Carbery (Clontarf/Leinster) 3 caps
Andrew Conway (Garryowen/Munster) 1 cap
John Cooney (Connacht)*
Keith Earls (Young Munster/Munster) 59 caps
Paddy Jackson (Dungannon/Ulster) 23 caps
Kieran Marmion (Corinthians/Connacht) 13 caps
Luke Marshall (Ballymena/Ulster) 9 caps
Luke McGrath (UCD/Leinster) 1 cap
Tiernan O'Halloran (Buccaneers/Connacht) 3 caps
Rory O'Loughlin (Old Belvedere/Leinster)*
Garry Ringrose (UCD/Leinster) 8 caps
Rory Scannell (Dolphin/Munster)*
Jacob Stockdale (Belfast Harlequins/Ulster)*
Simon Zebo (Cork Constitution/Munster) 33 caps
Ireland's first game of the Tour takes place against the USA in New Jersey on Saturday the 10th of June. The squad then flies to Japan for two Tests against the 2019 World Cup hosts who have been drawn in Pool A alongside Ireland at that tournament. The first Test takes place on Saturday June 17th with the second Test a week later.
Meanwhile the fixtures for both the 2018 and 2019 Six Nations Championships have been announced. Ireland will kick off their 2018 campaign away to France and will finish the tournament at Twickenham on St. Patrick's Day.
2018 SIX NATIONS CHAMPIONSHIP:
Round 1 - February 3/4:
Wales v Scotland, Saturday, 2.15pm
France v Ireland, Saturday, 4.45pm
Italy v England, Sunday, 3pm
Round 2 - February 10/11:
Ireland v Italy, Saturday, 2.15pm
England v Wales, Saturday, 4.45pm
Scotland v France, Sunday, 3pm
Round 3 - February 23/24:
France v Italy, Friday, 8pm
Ireland v Wales, Saturday, 2.15pm
Scotland v England, Saturday, 4.45pm
Round 4 - March 10/11:
Ireland v Scotland, Saturday, 2.15pm
France v England, Saturday, 4.45pm
Wales v Italy, Sunday, 3pm
Round 5 - March 17:
Italy v Scotland, Saturday, 12.30pm
England v Ireland, Saturday, 2.45pm
Wales v France, Saturday, 5pm
2019 SIX NATIONS CHAMPIONSHIP:
Round 1 - February 1/2:
France v Wales, Friday, 8pm
Scotland v Italy, Saturday, 2.15pm
Ireland v England, Saturday, 4.45pm
Round 2 - February 9/10:
Scotland v Ireland, Saturday, 2.15pm
Italy v Wales, Saturday, 4.45pm
England v France, Sunday, 3pm
Round 3 - February 23/24:
France v Scotland, Saturday, 2.15pm
Wales v England, Saturday, 4.45pm
Italy v Ireland, Sunday, 3pm
Round 4 - March 9/10:
Scotland v Wales, Saturday, 2.15pm
England v Italy, Saturday, 4.45pm
Ireland v France, Sunday, 3pm
Round 5 - March 16:
Italy v France, Saturday, 12.30pm
Wales v Ireland, Saturday, 2.45pm
England v Scotland, Saturday, 5pm
