Ireland’s likely Six Nations squad ahead of Wednesday’s announcement

Ireland coach Joe Schmidt is set to name his first Six Nations squad of the year at lunchtime on Wednesday.

The New Zealander has been known for naming a larger squad than rival coaches, preferring to get as many players away from the provinces as possible before paring down in the days before matches. In the lead-up to games, with the first a home tie against Wales on February 7, Schmidt will refine his squad but expect next week's announcement to be a biggie. Schmidt will also name his captain for the upcoming campaign, with Rory Best, Jamie Heaslip and Jonathan Sexton all vying for the role. At present, Best seems to be leading the way for that appointment. A number of Connacht players would have hoped to force their way into the Six Nations picture but they have faltered of late, losing fives games on the spin. Munster are in worse shape having lost six of their last eight games. Leinster have hit some domestic form and Ulster are the stand-out Irish province, having turned over Oyonnax and Toulouse, away from home, in recent weeks. Below are the names of 46 players that have the best chance of making Schmidt's extended squad, with the current favourites for the 35-man squad in bold.

Loosehead

Cian Healy, Jack McGrath, Dave Kilcoyne, Kyle McCall

Tighthead

Marty Moore, Tadhg Furlong, Mike Ross, Nathan White

Hooker

Rory Best, Richardt Strauss, Sean Cronin, Rob Herring

Second Row

Devin Toner, Donnacha Ryan, Mike McCarthy, Dave Foley, Ultan Dillane

Back Row

CJ Stander, Tommy O'Donnell, Sean O'Brien, Jamie Heaslip, Chris Henry, Rhys Ruddock, Josh van der Flier

Scrum-halves

Conor Murray, Eoin Reddan, Kieran Marmion, Isaac Boss

Out-halves

Jonathan Sexton, Paddy Jackson, Ian Madigan

Centres

Stuart McCloskey, Robbie Henshaw, Luke Fitzgerald, Jared Payne, Garry Ringrose, Luke Marshall

Back three

Simon Zebo, Andrew Trimble, Rob Kearney, Dave Kearney, Keith Earls, Andrew Conway, Matt Healy, Fergus McFadden, Craig Gilroy