Six Nations: Can Simon Easterby’s Ireland author an unprecedented three-peat?

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Six Nations: Can Simon Easterby’s Ireland author an unprecedented three-peat?

Speaking of the Lions, no fewer than eight of Ireland’s playing squad, plus coaches Easterby and Paul O’Connell, know the feeling of pulling on the famous red jersey.

However, with the tourists’ last trip coming after a season when Ireland finished third in the Six Nations and were still finding their feet under Andy Farrell, there are a host of key players who come into this championship targeting a first call-up to the invitational side having missed out on South Africa four years ago.

Josh van der Flier, for example, may be a former World Rugby player of the year, but at 31 years old has never represented the Lions.

The three-Test series against the Wallabies will likely represent a final chance to do so in his prime.

While slightly younger, Garry Ringrose, 30, Hugo Keenan and James Ryan, both 28, will be in the same boat.

Kiwi-born Jamison Gibson-Park and native *********** wing Mack Hansen will be in the mix having become key Test players since the last tour, while Caelan Doris has been tipped as not just a potential first-time tourist but as a Lions captain too.

There will be plenty of talk of taking things game by game and focusing on the task at hand in the coming weeks, but as Doris himself noted, Lions selection will be an “extra factor” to each round of the championship.

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