Heartbreak aplenty as Joe Schmidt reveals preliminary World Cup squad

And so it begins.

More than 12 weeks have still to pass before Ireland open their 2015 Rugby World Cup campaign against Canada in Cardiff, but the countdown began in earnest yesterday evening with the announcement of Joe Schmidt’s preliminary training panel.

Forty-five names were included in the IRFU press release that landed in the inbox of media outlets around the country and far beyond at 5.14pm after the head coach had waded through the last of his day’s meetings and endless phone calls to numerous players.