Ulster scrum-half Cooney recalled to Ireland squad

An injury to Jamison Gibson-Park has put John Cooney back in the frame for Ireland selection ahead of the Six Nations clash with France this Saturday. Cooney has been drafted into Andy Farrell’s squad after Gibson-Park presented some hamstring tightness following Saturday’s 50-17 thrashing of Italy at the Aviva Stadium.

As a result, the IRFU have this morning confirmed that the Ulster scrum-half has joined the squad to provide additional cover.

Cooney was a high-profile omission from Andy Farrell’s original 35-man squad, missing out on a call-up alongside Leinster No 9 Luke McGrath, with Farrell instead opting for the trio of Conor Murray, Kieran Marmion and newly eligible Gibson-Park.

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Gibson-Park made his Ireland debut against the Azzurri last weekend, replacing Conor Murray with 13 minutes to play.

The Ireland squad returned to their Carton House base on Sunday and will train at the IRFU High Performance Centre on the Sport Ireland campus today ahead of Saturday’s meeting with France in Paris.

Farrell will have to plan without centre Garry Ringrose, who has been ruled out of the remainder of the international window with a facial injury.

The IRFU have also confirmed that Munster’s Keith Earls is finishing his rehabilitation programme at the IRFU’s HPC and a decision on his availability will be made over the coming days.