Head coach Farrell appoints Sexton captain and calls up five new caps for Six Nations

Johnny Sexton has been appointed Ireland captain for the Guinness Six Nations, while new head coach Andy Farrell has named five uncapped players in his 35-man squad.

Sexton takes on the role following the retirement of vastl y experienced former skipper Rory Best, although the Leinster stand-off may miss the opening Six Nations match against Scotland in Dublin on 1 February. Sexton picked up a knee injury last month

Leinster trio Ronan Kelleher, Caelan Doris and Max Deegan are among the potential Test debutants selected for the tournament, while Ulster’s John Cooney and Tom O’toole have been rewarded for their impressive form.

Sexton, who has won 88 caps for Ireland, has not played since suffering a knee injury playing for Leinster in early December but, according to his club side, is making “good progress” in his recovery.

The 34-year-old’s only previous experience of captaining his country came in October during the World Cup pool stage win over Russia.

“We have appointed Johnny as captain for the Six Nations Championship, you can see what it means to him and the enthusiasm he will bring to the role,” coach Farrell told the Irish Rugby Football Union website.

“He has been developing as a leader for a number of years with Ireland, Leinster and the Lions and he will be a positive voice for the group.”

Sexton said: “First of all, it’s a massive honour to be asked to do it.

“I obviously got a taste for it during the World Cup for that one game and I’ve done it in patches with Ireland ingame when either Rory or Pete have gone off in previous games.

“It’s something that I enjoy but, ultimately, it’s a huge honour, the biggest honour of my career to be asked to do it.

“I’m really looking forward to it and looking forward to the challenges that are coming up and hopefully we can have a successful Six Nations.”