The squad has 14 players with World Cup experience and many of those without were involved with Ireland’s Six Nations victories in 2014 and 15.

Over half the squad named today – six backs and ten forwards – are currently playing together at provincial level at Leinster.  The others are from a spread of Ireland’s top provincial clubs.

Forwards

Joe Schmidt has taken a gamble on loosehead prop Cian Healy making a return to full match fitness following neck surgery.

Mike Ross and Jack McGrath match experience with the younger Nathan White’s two caps and the selection of one-cap Tadhg Furlong to complete the prop offering. This has left Mike Bent, who plays both tighthead and loosehead, excluded.

The Irish hookers are Rory Best, Sean Cronin and Richardt Strauss, who have a total of 138 caps between them.

International experience: veteran Rory Best is one of three solid choices for Ireland at hooker

Iain Henderson, Captain Paul O’Connell, Donnacha Ryan and Devin Toner will fill the second-row slots.

A formidable Irish back row will feature Jamie Heaslip, Chris Henry, Jordi Murphy, Sean O’Brien and Peter O’Mahony.

Backs

The Irish backs selection is characterised by utility players.

Keith Earls and Luke Fitzgerald can cover anywhere in the back three as well as the centres and Madigan could cover the missing third scrum-half position.

Conor Murray and Eoin Reddan are the two scrum-halves named, the absence of Isaac Boss making room for an extra centre.

Paddy Jackson, Ian Madigan and Johnny Sexton are the chosen fly-halves for the tournament. Sexton is expected to be the starting choice. Darren Cave, Robbie Henshaw and Jared Payne will make up the centres.

Specialist: Darren Cave will bring expertise to the Irish centres

The winners of the stiff competition for positions in the back three are Tommy Bowe, Keith Earls, Luke Fitzgerald, Dave Kearney, Rob Kearney and Simon Zebo.

The biggest shock omission was winger Andrew Trimble, who only played 30 minutes of the warm-up game against Wales on 8 August before a recurrence of the toe injury which kept him out of the 2015 Six Nations.

Shock omission: winger Andrew Trimble has been left out of Schmidt’s squad

Felix Jones was left out of the 31-man squad after uninspiring performances in the warm-up games. Fergus McFadden and Craig Gilroy also failed to make the cut.

Ireland’s 31-man squad

Props: Tadhg Furlong (Clontarf/Leinster, 1 cap), Cian Healy (Clontarf/Leinster, 51 caps), Jack McGrath (St. Mary’s College/Leinster, 19 caps), Mike Ross (Clontarf/Leinster, 51 caps), Nathan White (Connacht, 2 caps)

Hookers: Rory Best (Banbridge/Ulster, 84 caps), Sean Cronin (St. Mary’s College/Leinster, 45 caps), Richardt Strauss (Old Wesley/Leinster, 9 caps)

Second row: Iain Henderson (Ulster, 19 caps), Paul O’Connell (Captain, Young Munster, 103 caps), Donnacha Ryan (Shannon/Munster, 30 caps), Devin Toner (Lansdowne/Leinster, 26 caps)

Back Row: Jamie Heaslip (Dublin University/Leinster, 74 caps), Chris Henry (Malone/Ulster, 18 caps), Jordi Murphy (Lansdowne/Leinster, 12 caps), Sean O’Brien (UCD/Leinster, 36 caps),
Peter O’Mahony (Cork Constitution/Munster, 31 caps)

Scrum-halves: Conor Murray (Garryowen/Munster, 36 caps), Eoin Reddan (Old Crescent/Leinster, 63 caps)

Fly-halves: Paddy Jackson (Dungannon/Ulster, 12 caps), Ian Madigan (Blackrock College/Leinster, 20 caps), Jonathan Sexton (St. Mary’s College/Leinster, 52 caps)

Centres: Darren Cave (Belfast Harlequins/Ulster, 9 caps), Luke Fitzgerald (Blackrock College/Leinster, 30 caps), Robbie Henshaw (Buccaneers/Connacht, 11 caps), Jared Payne (Ulster, 7 caps)

Back three: Tommy Bowe (Belfast Harlequins/Ulster, 62 caps), Keith Earls (Young Munster/Munster, 41 caps), Dave Kearney (Lansdowne/Leinster, 9 caps), Rob Kearney (UCD/Leinster, 63 caps), Simon Zebo (Cork Constitution/Munster, 17 caps)