Old-school values still vital in Ireland’s World Cup plans

Joe Schmidt’s Ireland squad for the first two rounds of the Six Nations is not the sort of thing, if one is being realistic, that you can sugarcoat or take the glass-half-full view if you’re not included, writes Ronan O'Gara.

There are 17 backs included in a squad of 39, which will be trimmed by six for the World Cup. The portents are not good for the likes of Rory Scannell, who was involved in the camp over Christmas. This isn’t a November series, so there’s no lower tier nation to be feeding new lads into.