Ireland hooker Dan Sheehan says the players remain “confident” ahead of Thursday’s Six Nations opener against France in Paris (20:10 GMT).
Head coach Andy Farrell named his squad for the game on Tuesday morning but without several regular starters due to injuries.
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Tadhg Furlong, Hugo Keenan, Ryan Baird and Mark Hansen are all missing through injury, while Bundy Aki is suspended.
Perhaps the biggest problem is that not only are the ever-reckless Andrew Porter missing, but his two main backups, Paddy McCarthy and Jack Boyle, are also missing.
Jeremy Loughman will replace them, making his first cap since the 2024 Six Nations, with his Munster colleague Michael Milne providing cover on the bench.
“We have full confidence in our employees,” Sheehan said.
“We’ve done a good job of building some depth over the years, and we’ve got some loose ends that have ceiling.
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“Some teams will struggle. [with the injuries] But I think we have enough depth and talent. I don’t think much has changed and there’s no sense of panic. “
While there are concerns over front-row depth as Ireland lose three first-choice free agents and starting tight end Tadhg Furlong misses at least the opener, Sheehan’s own hooker position leaves Farrell with an enviable array of options.
Sheehan will start ahead of Leinster team-mate Ronan Kelleher in Paris, while Ulster’s Tom Stewart has also impressed for Ulster this year.
“We have some top young prostitutes in the provinces now,” Sheehan continued.
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“If you look at a few years ago, maybe people would have said there was a shortage, but I think all the provinces were producing high-quality prostitutes and that motivated everyone to keep going.”
The past four Six Nations winners have been either Ireland or France. Farrell’s side have not faced Thursday’s hosts at the Stade de France since 2018, despite having beaten Scotland and South Africa at the stadium during the 2023 World Cup.
“When people ask ‘What’s your favorite away stadium?’ it’s the Stade de France, it’s a great atmosphere,” Sheehan added.
“The Six Nations is always so special, it’s always the best two months of the year.
“[The start of the year can be] It’s been a boring few months, but it always helps people and it helps us. Now everyone is busy getting going. “
