'I just don't see it being changed too much' - O'Driscoll doesn't expect many squad changes between now and the World Cup

Brian O'Driscoll says he doesn't expect too many fresh faces to stamp their authority on the Ireland squad between now and the 2023 Rugby World Cup.

With Ireland heading into the final 18 months of the World Cup cycle, Farrell's matchday squads since November have indicated he's settled on a first-choice group to play together until the tournament in France.

Twenty-four players have made their debuts in the two years since Farrell took over, with Ronan Kelleher, Caelan Doris, Jamison Gibson-Park, James Lowe and Hugo Keenan all firmly establishing themselves in Ireland's starting XV.

The Ireland head coach names his squad today for Sunday's Round 3 clash with Italy in the Guinness Six Nations, and despite calls for Farrell to use the game as an opportunity to spread gametime across his wider squad, it's expected that changes will be minimal.

The former Ireland captain says it's likely we only see a couple of tweaks from the defeat to France in Paris, with injury and illness dictating that both Ronan Kelleher and Iain Henderson will need to be replaced in the matchday 23.

"The reality is it’s a pretty settled - albeit it’s quite a young - squad for the most part, other than two or three names it’s quite settled.

"It doesn’t feel as though we’re going to have too many outliers shoot themselves into the squad for the World Cup next year. The guys that are there now in the training camp at the moment look as though they’ll be making up the vast majority of this World Cup squad. That’s everything you’re trying to do, work backwards.

"The focus is the Six Nations, but it’s ultimately about building for the World Cup. That’s the cycle we’re in, 18 months away.

"I think you’ll maybe see two or three guys come in [for Italy] but I don’t