Andy Farrell announces 33-man Ireland squad for 2023 Rugby World Cup

ANDY Farrell has announced his final Ireland squad for the 2023 Rugby World Cup.

The Ireland boss named the 33-man panel ahead of their opening game against Romania on September 9.

Five players were cut from the 38-man squad as Farrell revealed his final selections at The Shelbourne Hotel in Dublin's city centre.

Cian Healy is the major absentee from the squad after limping off injured against Samoa.

Farrell confirmed the Leinster prop faces a spell on the sidelines after results of a scan revealed he won't be fit to start the tournament.

Speaking with the media at The Shelbourne Hotel, the Ireland boss revealed the news.

He said: "He has had a scan as we got off the plane there.

"He'll be out for a spell of time that won't be right, unfortunately.

"We'll see how his rehab goes during it and we'll see at the back end whether he could be a replacement or not."

Farrell spoke of the devastation within the group for the Leinster prop after news of his absence.

He added: "He's devastated, isn't he? That's sport, that's life and that's rugby.

"Cian is big enough...and old enough... and experienced enough to have been through these types of things before.

"He understands these types of things happen but he is obviously devastated, as we are as a group for him."

Munster’s Jeremy Loughman is the one to benefit from his absence with Tom Stewart, Diarmuid Barron, Cian Prendergast, Ciaran Frawley and Jacob Stockdale the five players who were with the squad in Bayonne who have failed to make the cut.

Ireland completed their warm-up fixtures last night as they saw off Samoa 17-13 in a lacklustre clash in Bayonne.

Romania, Tonga, South Africa and 2019 Rugby World Cup winners South Africa join Ireland in Pool B.

The squad will have few days off to relax with family and friends before jetting of to their base in Tours.

2023 IRELAND RUGBY WORLD CUP SQUAD

FORWARDS

Hookers: Rob Herring (Ulster/Ballynahinch), Ronan Kelleher (Leinster/Lansdowne), Dan Sheehan (Leinster/Lansdowne)

Props: Finlay Bealham (Connacht/Buccaneers), Tadhg Furlong (Leinster/Clontarf), Jeremy Loughman (Munster), Dave Kilcoyne (Munster/UL Bohemians), Tom O’Toole (Ulster/Ballynahinch), Andrew Porter (Leinster/UCD).

Locks: Ryan Baird (Leinster/Dublin University), Tadhg Beirne (Munster/Lansdowne), Iain Henderson (Ulster/Academy), Joe McCarthy (Leinster/Dublin University), James Ryan (Leinster/UCD).

Backrows: Jack Conan (Leinster/Old Belvedere), Caelan Doris (Leinster/St Mary’s College), Peter O’Mahony (Munster/Cork Constitution), Josh van der Flier (Leinster/UCD).

BACKS

Scrumhalves: Craig Casey (Munster/Shannon), Jamison Gibson-Park (Leinster), Conor Murray (Munster/Garryowen).

Outhalves: Ross Byrne (Leinster/UCD), Jack Crowley (Munster/Cork Constitution), Jonathan Sexton (Leinster/St Mary’s College).

Centres: Bundee Aki (Connacht/Galwegians), Robbie Henshaw (Leinster/Buccaneers), Stuart McCloskey (Ulster/Bangor), Garry Ringrose (Leinster/UCD).

Outside backs: Keith Earls (Munster/Young Munster), Mack Hansen (Connacht/Corinthians), Hugo Keenan (Leinster/UCD), James Lowe (Leinster), Jimmy O’Brien (Leinster/Naas).