Official RBS 6 Nations Rugby : Kidney excited by Lansdowne Road return

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Declan Kidney has been boosted by a number of high-profile returns

Kidney excited by Lansdowne Road return

19 October 2010, 2:13 pm

By Sportsbeat

Coach Declan Kidney admits he's counting down the days until Ireland return to Lansdowne Road after welcoming back a host of big-name players to his squad for the autumn internationals.

Ireland will play their first international game at the new Aviva Stadium against South Africa on November 6 after spending three years at Croke Park during the ground’s redevelopment.

Kidney will have a 34-strong squad to pick from after seeing Keith Earls, Rory Best, Stephen Ferris, Denis Leamy, Sean O’Brien and Donnacha Ryan all return after being ruled out of the summer tour.

And with such riches at his disposal, Kidney insists he can’t wait to let his side loose against the World Champions.

“It will be great to be back playing in the home of Irish Rugby on Lansdowne Road in the Aviva Stadium and the atmosphere from what I have seen so far rivals the old stadium,” said Kidney.

“There will be a lot of talk about the new stadium and also about the Rugby World Cup, but the responsibility for the squad and management will be firmly to concentrate on the first game and then take each week as it comes in November.

“We will soak up all the excitement that goes with all that, but the focus for everybody on November 6th will be performing against South Africa.”

Ireland Squad (34):
Rory Best (Banbridge/Ulster)
Isaac Boss (Terenure College/Leinster)
Tommy Bowe (Ospreys)
Tony Buckley (Shannon/Munster)
Tom Court (Malone/Ulster)
Sean Cronin (Buccaneers/Connacht)
Gordon D'Arcy (Lansdowne/Leinster)
Gavin Duffy (Galwegians/Connacht)
Keith Earls (Thomond/Munster)
Stephen Ferris (Dungannon/Ulster)
Shane Horgan (Boyne/Leinster)
John Hayes (Bruff/Munster)
Cian Healy (Clontarf/Leinster)
Jamie Heaslip (Naas/Leinster)
Marcus Horan (Shannon/Munster)
Robert Kearney (UCD/Leinster)
Denis Leamy (Cork Constitution/Munster)
John Muldoon (Galwegians/Connacht)
Johne Murphy (Young Munster/Munster)*
Donncha O' Callaghan (Cork Constitution/Munster)
Ronan O' Gara (Cork Constitution/Munster)
Sean O'Brien (Clontarf/Leinster)
Brian O'Driscoll (UCD/Leinster)
Mick O'Driscoll (Constitution/Munster)
Eoin Reddan (Lansdowne/Leinster)
Mike Ross (Clontarf/Leinster)
Donnacha Ryan (Shannon/Munster)
Jonathan Sexton (St.Mary's College/Leinster)
Peter Stringer (Shannon/Munster)
Devin Toner (Lansdowne/Leinster)*
Andrew Trimble (Ballymena/Ulster)
Damien Varley (Garryowen/Munster)
David Wallace (Garryowen/Munster)
Paddy Wallace (Ballymena/Ulster)