Jack Crowley ruled out as Andy Farrell names Ireland squad for Australia and New Zealand tour

RULED OUT: Jack Crowley has been ruled out of Andy Farrell’s Ireland squad for the summer tour to Australia and New Zealand. Pic: ©INPHO

Jack Crowley has been ruled out of Andy Farrell’s Ireland squad for the summer tour to Australia and New Zealand.

The Munster out-half hasn’t played since mid-April due to what was a mystery leg injury and one that was subsequently diagnosed as a blood vessel issue with his club coach Clayton McMillan saying in the last week that it could take a month or two to solve.

Farrell has named three tens in his travelling party for games against Australia in Sydney, Japan in Newcastle and New Zealand in Auckland with Sam Prendergast, Harry Byrne and Ciaran Frawley all making the trip.

Crowley finished the Six Nations as the undisputed first-choice out-half and would have been aiming to solidify that status Down Under. Now it falls to one of the other three to put their stamp on training and games in the weeks ahead.

Others unavailable due to injury were Ryan Baird, Shayne Bolton, Jack Boyle, Edwin Edogbo, Tom Farrell, Mack Hansen, Paddy McCarthy, Calvin Nash and Andrew Porter. Caelan Doris will again act as captain.

James Lowe, due to leave for club rugby in Japan, is another whose name is missing.

Farrell has opted for an experienced group, as expected, but there are three uncapped men in the party, all of them from Connacht, with Sam Illo and Billy Bohan pushing for caps in the front row and Sean Jansen coming off a superb season at No.8.

Bohan was part of the Ireland squad for the Six Nations earlier this season, while Illo and Jansen, who have featured for Emerging Ireland previously, have earned their first senior squad call ups.

A contingent of players from Munster, Connacht and Ulster have been training in Abbottstown this week while their Leinster counterparts focus on Friday’s URC final against the Bulls. The whole group will fly to Australia on Monday.

Farrell has already highlighted the need to hit the ground running.

“The experience of playing down under will be priceless for us and, even though we’ll be playing in front of largely partisan home crowds, we are also excited about playing in front of a huge Irish support.

“Their dedication to the team never ceases to amaze us and with a huge diaspora down under I’m sure we can count on a large Irish following in Sydney, Newcastle and then on to Auckland.

“For us, we are aiming to build on our positive performances during the recent Guinness Men’s Six Nations.”

Ireland Squad

Forwards (20):

Tadhg Beirne (Lansdowne/Munster)(70); Billy Bohan (Corinthians/Connacht)*; Thomas Clarkson (Blackrock College/Leinster)(13); Jack Conan (Old Belvedere/Leinster)(59); Caelan Doris (St. Mary’s College/Leinster)(captain)(60); Tadhg Furlong (Clontarf/Leinster)(86); Sam Illo (Buccaneers/Connacht)*; Cormac Izuchukwu (Ballynahinch/Ulster)(4); Sean Jansen (Connacht)*; Rónan Kelleher (Lansdowne/Leinster)(48); Jeremy Loughman (Garryowen/Munster)(8); Joe McCarthy (Dublin University/Leinster)(24); Darragh Murray (Buccaneers/Connacht)(3); Tom O’Toole (Ballynahinch/Ulster)(21); Cian Prendergast (UCD/Connacht)(11); James Ryan (UCD/Leinster)(80); Dan Sheehan (Lansdowne/Leinster)(39); Tom Stewart (Ballynahinch/Ulster)(5); Nick Timoney (Queen’s University/Ulster)(11); Josh van der Flier (UCD/Leinster)(79).

Backs (16):

Bundee Aki (Galwegians/Connacht)(69); Rob Baloucoune (Enniskillen/Ulster)(8); Harry Byrne (Lansdowne/Leinster)(4); Craig Casey (Shannon/Munster)(28); Nathan Doak (Banbridge/Ulster)(1); Ciaran Frawley (UCD/Leinster)(12); Jamison Gibson-Park (Leinster)(51); Robbie Henshaw (Buccaneers/Leinster) (84); Hugo Keenan (UCD/Leinster)(46); Stuart McCloskey (Bangor/Ulster)(28); Jimmy O’Brien (Naas/Leinster)(11); Tommy O’Brien (Blackrock College/Leinster)(9); Jamie Osborne (Naas/Leinster)(15); Sam Prendergast (Lansdowne/Leinster)(15); Garry Ringrose (UCD/Leinster)(74); Jacob Stockdale (Lurgan/Ulster)(42).

* denotes uncapped