Simon Easterby: Players will be chosen on form

Class may be permanent but if you’re looking for a place in Ireland’s World Cup squad this September, you better be backing it up with some good form.

That was the message sent by Irish forwards coach Simon Easterby as the back-to-back Six Nations champions prepare for their first serious audition ahead of the 2015 World Cup campaign against Wales in Cardiff this Saturday.

The clock is ticking ahead of the September 6 deadline for head coach Joe Schmidt to name his 31-man squad for the tournament and with four warm-up games to state their case for inclusion, the 46 Ireland players training at Carton House have been told to seize the moment.