The Irish management's first squad for the Five Nations Championship scarcely warrants a quizical glance. It is a measure of how settled the selection process is that not even one uncapped player makes it into the 23.

One notable area for debate has even been deferred with the inclusion of four props in the squad - a decision on which of them is accommodated on the Test replacements' bench and who fills the AN Other berth in the A side will be made on Monday when the Test XV is finalised.

This will most probably rest between Justin Fitzpatrick and Reggie Corrigan, pending the former's performance in Saturday's European Cup final.

"Our reasoning is that the Ulster performance against Colomiers will have a bearing on a couple of selections," admitted Warren Gatland yesterday.

Into this category no doubt falls the out-half position, with David Humphreys having even more to play for than Fitzpatrick when he captains Ulster against Colomiers. The management did consider promoting Guy Easterby but instead Ciaran Scally will remain understudy to Conor McGuinness. The 27-year-old Yorkshire-born London Scottish scrum-half (who qualifies through an Irish grandmother) is instead afforded a second A appearance.

"The positive thing is that we're starting to get a little bit of continuity in selection and now we're asking the player to pay back a little of that loyalty," said Warren Gatland.

The A selection is more eye-catching with nine internationals, but it also includes a couple of newcomers at this level in Gordon D'arcy and Shane Horgan.

Both were still eligible for the Under-21 team, but with regard to the 19-year-old D'Arcy, Gatland said: "it's a toss-up to play them in the 21s and make them a stronger side or promote them into the A side. We were led to believe that Gordon would be playing on the wing for the under-21 side and we're looking at him as a fullback."

Although 10 of their European Cup final squad have been included in these two national squads, there may be some misgivings within Ulster circles that the likes of Mark Blair and Simon Mason didn't make it into the A starting XV.

But with regard to the former, Mick Galwey is both the man in possession and the captain, while for all Mason's prolific place-kicking, the selection of D'Arcy is a much bigger investment in the future. He's also a much more potent runner with an exciting ability to up a gear in full stride.

With Barry Everitt at half-back and Niall Woods - though in a rich vien of form for high-flying London Irish, a somewhat surprising retention - this adventurous selection certainly has flair. With seven of the side so comprehensively beaten by the South African midweek side at the beginning of December reverting to the Test squad, only three players have been demoted - Pat Duignan, Darragh O'Mahony and David Corkery. The latter is even edged out of a place on the replacements bench by Alan Quinlan, whose quartet of Shannon team-mates John Hayes, Galwey, Anthony Foley and Eddie Halvey are all retained along with Woods.

The Test squad will assemble in the Glenview Hotel in Wicklow on Sunday night and will train from Monday to Thursday in Greystones. In the interim, Gatland himself is rather reluctantly making an arduous journey to Genoa this weekend to watch the Italy-France game. "I'd love to be in Dublin watching Ulster play rather than undertake this nightmare journey, but Donal is there and we'll watch the video of the game on Sunday before going to the Terenure-Young Munster match."

Ireland (squad v France, February 6th): Backs: C O'Shea (London Irish), G Dempsey (Terenure College), J Bishop (London Irish), J Bell (Dungannon), K Maggs (Bath), R Henderson (Wasps), E Elwood (Galwegians), D Humphreys (Dungannon), C McGuinness (St Mary's College), C Scally (UCD). Forwards: D O'Cuinneagain (Sale), E Miller (Terenure College), A Ward (Ballynahinch), V Costello (St Mary's College), P Johns (Saracens), M O'Kelly (London Irish), J Davidson (Castres), K Wood (Harlequins), R Nesdale (Newcastle), P Wallace (Saracens), P Clohessy (Young Munster), J Fitzpatrick (Dungannon), R Corrigan (Lansdowne).

Ireland A (v France A, Donnybrook, February 5th, 5.0 p.m.): G D'Arcy (Lansdowne); J McWeeney (St Mary's College), S Horgan (Lansdowne), K Keane (Garryowen), N Woods (London Irish); B Everitt (Lansdowne), G Easterby (London Scottish); A N Other, A Clarke (Dungannon), J Hayes (Shannon), M Galwey (Shannon, capt), G Longwell (Ballymena), T Brennan (St Mary's College), E Halvey (Shannon), A Foley (Shannon). Replacements: S Mason (Ballymena), J Cunningham (Ballymena), T Tierney (Garryowen), A Quinlan (Shannon), M Blair (Ballymena), A McKeen (Lansdowne), R Weir (Portadown).