Andy Farrell has named his Ireland squad for the Northern Hemisphere legs of the Nations Championship.
The 36-man squad will resume their Nations Championship campaign against Argentina, Fiji and South Africa in Dublin, with Dan Sheehan named squad captain.
Here are our winners and losers.
Winners
Jamie Benson: A hugely exciting opportunity for the uncapped Ulster man. With the absence of Jack Crowley through injury, and Sam Prendergast’s inability to establish himself at the highest level, Benson could use this tour to build upon his skills and make a name for himself on the international circuit. A remarkable rise, particularly considering he was playing for Cambridge in the RFU Championship just three seasons ago.
James McNabney: Another potential debutant. The former grand slam-winning under-20s player has been a mainstay in the Ulster team for a couple of seasons now, and is capable of playing all across the back row. At 6 ft 5 in, he’s an impressive physical specimen, and could be a real handful for international defences if unleashed.
Mack Hansen: The Mack is well and truly back. After suffering an elongated foot/ankle injury that ruled him out for much of 2025 and 2026, the Australian-born winger is back in the Ireland squad for the first time in almost a year. With a few Ulster games under his belt this season, Andy Farrell has recalled the charismatic Hansen to add some real go-forward to the Ireland attack.
Ireland’s midfield: Perhaps a negative is a lack of youth in the midfield, other than perhaps Jamie Osbourne, whose versatility positions him at fullback more often than not for Ireland. The positives, however, are a midfield that boasts 262 caps between the remaining four of Bundee Aki, Robbie Henshaw, Stuart McCloskey and Garry Ringrose. They may all be getting older, but for Andy Farrell to have all those top-quality operators available for selection at the same time is an absolute dream for a coach.
Back row replacements: Nick Timoney, Sean Jansen, Ryan Baird and Cian Prendergast are all fresh into their Ireland journeys, but each player has a golden opportunity to put a marker down ahead of next year’s World Cup. With the absence of Jack Conan and Caelan Doris through injury, the quartet will likely get plenty of opportunities to show why they deserve a matchday spot ahead of next year’s global tournament.
England prop on how a chance encounter with Ox Nche set him on the road to international rugby
Losers
Jack Aungier: The 27-year-old prop has made an impressive start to his time at Munster since joining from Irish rivals Connacht in the summer. He has expertly packed down at tighthead, proving his quality in both the URC and the Champions Cup, but will not be making an appearance at the Nations Championship. He made an appearance for Ireland A at the start of the year, so he’s certainly within touching distance of the senior squad, but time is running out if he is to push for a 2027 World Cup spot.
Zac Ward: His brother Bryn is injured so won’t be adding to his Ireland appearance tally, but Zac is still chasing his first cap – one that he’ll have to wait a little while longer for. The Olympic Sevens star was called up to the Ireland squad for the 2026 Nations Championship Southern Hemisphere Series after Tommy O’Brien was ruled out through injury, but failed to make an appearance. He’s played for the ‘A’ side on more than one occasion, too, but the Munster man is clearly not at the top of Farrell’s thoughts at this time.
Jack Murphy: In an era where Ireland boast one of the oldest squads in the world game, an injection of youth surely wouldn’t go amiss. The 22-year-old fly-half will be disappointed not to get a look in this time, particularly after Jack Crowley was ruled out with injury. He’s only 22, however, and has been in excellent form for Ulster, so it surely won’t be long before we see him in the green of Ireland’s senior squad.
Brian Gleeson: The former under-20s captain has been called up to the senior side before, in autumn 2025 ahead of an international tour to the United States, but had to pull out after suffering a broken elbow. Now fit, the 22-year-old Munster back rower will surely be gutted to miss out with less than a year to go until the World Cup.
Injuries: Several players were not considered due to injury, including Jack Boyle, Harry Byrne, Jack Conan, Jack Crowley, Caelan Doris, Iain Henderson, Paddy McCarthy, Calvin Nash and Bryn Ward. Byrne will be disappointed to miss the tournament, particularly with playing rival Crowley out injured, while Ireland will desperately miss Conan and Doris in the back row.
Munster: Two Munster players have been selected in the squad, Tadhg Beirne and Craig Casey, compared to Connacht’s eight and Ulster’s nine. Leinster, of course, lead the way with 17.
England prop on how a chance encounter with Ox Nche set him on the road to international rugby
Ireland open their November campaign against Argentina on Friday, 6 November (Kick-off 8.10pm), before welcoming Fiji to the Home of Irish Rugby on Saturday, 14 November (Kick-off 8.10pm).
Farrell’s side then go head-to-head with South Africa at a sold-out Aviva Stadium on Saturday, 21 November (Kick-off 4.40pm), with the Nations Championship Finals Weekend taking place a week later at the Allianz Stadium in London.
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