Conor Murray is expected to be fit for Ireland’s opening RBS 6 Nations clash with Italy on Saturday.

The IRFU confirmed the news about the Munster scrum-half, who suffered a neck injury and missed the last two Champions Cup matches, as it announced a reduced 38-man squad for the first two games of the tournament.

Leinster trio Jack Conan, Michael Bent and Noel Reid return to the province after featuring for the Wolfhounds on Friday. Fergus McFadden has a rib cartilage injury, while Craig Gilroy suffered a concussion during the Saxons game. Rob Herring also returns to Ulster.

Dave Kearney and Luke Fitzgerald are expected to be fully fit to train in preparation for Italy, while Eoin Reddan and Jamie Heaslip are progressing well and are likely to be available to train fully on Tuesday.

Mike McCarthy suffered a concussion during the Wolfhounds game and will stay with the squad while completing the return-to-play protocols. Cian Healy continues to make very promising progress following his hamstring injury.