Six Kildare players named in Ireland November squad

Six Kildare players have been named in the Ireland squad for the upcoming games in the Nations Championship. 

Andy Farrell has selected three forwards and three backs from Kildare as part of his 36-man squad, with tests coming up in November against Argentina, Fiji and South Africa. 

In the forwards are Munster captain Tadhg Beirne, Connacht captain Cian Prendergast, and his provincial teammate Billy Bohan, while in the backs are the Leinster trio of Sam Prendergast, Jamie Osborne and Jimmy O'Brien. 

Beirne remains one of the best loose forwards in world rugby and can expect to have his typically high level of involvement in the series, while Cian Prendergast will be vying with Leinster's Ryan Baird for the right to wear the number six jersey. Bohan's incredible rise over the past year has seen him leapfrog Athy's Jeremy Loughman to become the third-choice loosehead.

Sam Prendergast has a battle on his hands to keep the number ten shirt away from Ciaran Frawley, while Osborne's versatility and ability to play in any position from 11 to 15 actually makes him the most likely number 23 at Andy Farrell's disposal. 

Finally, O'Brien's career resurgence continues with another Irish call-up. The Eadestown man is similarly versatile to Osborne, but O'Brien has been the perfect replacement for JAmes Lowe at Leinster and he will hope to get an opportunity to fill that same void when it comes time to wear the green. 

Andy Farrell's men begin their Norther Hemisphere leg of the Nations Championship at the Aviva on Friday, November 6, followed by Fiji on Saturday 14 and then the World Champion Springboks on Saturday 21. The tournament will culminate with Finals Weekend, which takes place in London from Friday 27, Saturday 28 and Sunday 29.