Rugby: Irish selectors pass over big-hitters D'Arcy and Trimble

Ireland's Gordon D'Arcy in 2010. Photo / NZME

Gordon D'Arcy's international career may be over after the veteran centre was left out of Ireland's Rugby World Cup squad yesterday.

Head coach Joe Schmidt said he had taken a "calculated risk" in selecting only two recognised halfbacks for the tournament.

With D'Arcy not expected to make the cut, the decision to gamble on the fitness of Conor Murray and Eoin Reddan was probably the biggest call made by Ireland's selectors, although the exclusion of Andrew Trimble, Ireland's 2014 player of the year, also raised eyebrows.

Schmidt admitted he had agonised over it. "The difficulty was that Andrew had played 34 minutes of a test [the 35-21 victory over Wales on August 8]. He played 80 minutes for Ulster [last Friday]. In between that, he'd hurt the foot again and it just interrupted his opportunity to press for selection. Ability, commitment and what he's contributed when he has played for us all certainly counted for him."

D'Arcy, who won 82 caps and for many years formed a world-class partnership with Brian O'Driscoll in the midfield, had already announced he would retire after the World Cup.

Schmidt, though, already has extra cover in the midfield, having freed up a space for the Ulster centre Darren Cave in going with only two recognised halfbacks.

Isaac Boss and Kieran Marmian will remain on standby with Ian Madigan now covering both halfback positions.

"I'd like to think it's a calculated risk," Schmidt said. "We've given it as much thought as we could. Isaac [Boss] did very well against Scotland. That physical aspect of his game is something we'll miss. To a degree, that risk is managed by the 48-hour rule and the opportunity to get someone in within that time frame before a match if there is an injury.

"Ian has done a lot of individual training [at halfback], but it's only in the last week he's started to slot in and do a little bit at 9 with the team. I spoke to Ian about it last season, so it's not suddenly something that's sprung up."

Cave will provide cover for the first-choice centre pairing Jared Payne and Robbie Henshaw, while the wingers, Keith Earls and Luke Fitzgerald, who were injured during the defeat by Wales in Dublin on Saturday, are also included.

Simon Zebo, Earls, Fitzgerald and Payne all provide fullback cover for first-choice No15 Rob Kearney, with Munster's Felix Jones, Leinster's Fergus McFadden and Ulster's Craig Gilroy all missing out.

Ireland squad

Backs: Rob Kearney, Tommy Bowe, Luke Fitzgerald, David Kearney, Simon Zebo, Darren Cave, Keith Earls, Robbie Henshaw, Jared Payne, Paddy Jackson, Ian Madigan, Jonathan Sexton, Conor Murray, Eoin Reddan

Forwards: Jamie Heaslip, Chris Henry, Jordi Murphy, Sean O'Brien, Peter O'Mahony, Iain Henderson, Paul O'Connell (c), Donnacha Ryan, Devin Toner, Rory Best, Sean Cronin, Richardt Strauss, Tadhg Furlong, Cian Healy, Jack McGrath, Mike Ross, Nathan White