Ireland Squad: Tadhg Furlong returns to full training as Andy Farrell re-calls Ulster back row

Ireland take on a rejuvenated Italy side that find themselves in hot form, ahead of this second round clash on Valentine's Day. Gonzalo Quesada's side picked up an impressive 18-15 win over Scotland in the torrential Roman rain, to get their tournament off to winning ways on Saturday at the Stadio Olimpico.

The Ireland squad trained in Clongowes Wood College on Monday with the medical team reporting no fresh injury concerns. There is promising signs for Leinster tight-head Tadhg Furlong who has resumed full training as the squad returned home. Furlong was a hopeful contender for the opening round bout at the Stade de France, yet the prop was eventually rested to fully recover from a problematic calf injury.

The latest news from the Ireland camp, is that a decision will be made on his availability ahead of Thursday afternoon’s team announcement.

Meanwhile, Andy Farrell has recalled Ulster back row Bryn Ward to the senior training squad. Ward was apart of the initial wider group that jetted out to Portugal for the pre-tournament preparations, before he headed home prior to Round 1. Whilst Ward did not take part in Ireland's defeat to France last week, the highly rated 21-year-old did feature in the Ireland XV side that took on England A at Thomond Park.

The Ireland XV were well beaten at the home of Munster Rugby, as the visitors ran out a convincing 52-14 win in Limerick. Whilst it was a tough day for the Ireland hopefuls, Ward has certainly impressed the coaches with his latest outing for the second team. Ireland head to their High Performance Centre in Dublin to continue their preparations this week, with Ward hopeful to get the nod for the match day squad to face Italy this Saturday at the Aviva Stadium.