Ireland's Six Nations squad was largely along expected lines, but as ever, there was plenty to pick through the 36-man group named by Andy Farrell this morning.
arrell's men will now enter their strict bubble and begin preparations for the tournament opener against Wales on Sunday week.
For those included, it's a chance to immediately get to work and stake their claim, while the players left out must continue to focus on their respective provinces and hope to earn a call-up in the coming weeks.
Let's take a look at the big winners and losers from the first Ireland squad announcement of 2021:
WINNERS
Tom O'Toole
Ulster's tighthead might well have been capped last year before injury intervened and scuppered his chances.
Now fully recovered, O'Toole has overtaken Connacht's Finlay Bealham and Munster's John Ryan, and he will hope to push on having already gotten a taste of Ireland camp.
A powerful presence in the loose, the 22-year-old has a bright future ahead of him and having regularly nudged Marty Moore out of the Ulster team, O'Toole is highly rated within the northern province.
With only three tightheads in the squad, much will depend on Furlong's fitness, but a debut for O'Toole could be soon around the corner.
Craig Casey
Munster's talented young scrum-half earns a first call-up on the back of a string of impressive performances.
Having previously spent time in camp as a 'development player', Casey makes the step up and joins the squad as a senior member.
The Limerick man has started seven games this season for Munster and made another four appearances off the bench, including in last weekend's defeat to Leinster.
An electric and hugely vocal presence, the 21-year old will not be daunted by this exciting promotion.
Tadhg Furlong
It's now almost a year since the Leinster and Ireland tighthead played a game, so to say his return will come as a huge boost, would be a massive understatement.
Furlong got through a full week of training last week, but Leinster opted not to rush him back from a troublesome calf injury, which followed a back issue.
Although Farrell would have preferred Furlong to get some game time with Leinster before the Wales clash, issues around protecting his squad's bubble is now more important than ever.
Farrell will be comforted by the fact that Andrew Porter is playing well, but if Furlong (28) ramps up his recovery over the next fortnight, don't be surprised to see the Lions prop in the match-day squad for the Wales game.
Rhys Ruddock
A welcome and equally deserved recall for the in-form Leinster back-row, whose omission throughout last year raised many eyebrows.
Having won the last three consecutive 'Player of the Month' awards in Leinster, Ruddock has played his way back into the Ireland squad on merit.
The 30-year-old put in another industrious shift at Thomond Park on Saturday night and he will now likely compete with CJ Stander for the number six jersey.
Ruddock hasn't played for Ireland since the 2019 World Cup quarter-final defeat to New Zealand. It has been a long road back.
Andrew Conway
It has been a difficult few weeks for the Munster man, who hasn't played since the Champions Cup win over Harlequins on December 13.
Conway was said to have missed the subsequent win in Clermont due to “personal issues”, but it is understood that he was fit and available for selection last weekend.
The winger was not selected against Leinster, however, which must have left him sweating over his place in the Ireland squad.
But Conway has plenty of credit in the bank, which Farrell has clearly acknowledged.
LOSERS
Jacob Stockdale
A knee injury picked up against Munster earlier this month looks to have ruined Stockdale's chances of making the cut.
There hasn't been much clarity offered around the winger's condition, however, Farrell did say in his press release: “Unfortunately Jacob (Stockdale) will not be available to us."
With competition for places in the back-three really hotting up, this is not a good time to miss out.
Jack Carty
After leading Connacht to a historic victory at the RDS recently, the out-half looked like a shoo-in to be included in the Six Nations squad.
However, Carty hasn't been able to kick on since then and having not featured in yesterday's defeat to the Ospreys, he missed the chance to put his hand up for selection.
To make matters worse for Carty, Ross Byrne came off the bench in Limerick to great effect, which may just have swung a tight call back in the Leinster man's favour.
Luke McGrath
Having regained his starting spot of Jamison Gibson-Park, McGrath delivered a fine performance that would have put him right back in the frame.
Farrell is clearly a fan of Gibson-Park though, and having handed him his Ireland debut, he has stuck with McGrath's Leinster rival and also plumped for the uncapped Casey ahead of him.
McGrath, like his Ulster and Connacht compatriots, John Cooney and Kieran Marmion, can feel rather hard done by, but he is a consummate professional, who you suspect will be eager to prove a point with Leinster over the coming weeks.
Gavin Coombes
In the end, it perhaps came down to a straight shootout between Coombes and Ruddock, with Farrell deciding to go with experience.
Coombes has been excellent for Munster this season and although he might not have been as prominent against Ruddock's Leinster, he showed up well on several occasions.
The 23-year old can't be far away from earning a first call-up and with injuries inevitable over the coming weeks, he must quickly shift his focus and continue playing well for Munster.
Ryan Baird
The supremely talented and versatile lock hasn't quite hit the heights of last season following an untimely injury which meant he missed out on a probable international debut in the Autumn Nations Cup.
Big things are expected of Baird, but it is important to remember that he is still only 21, and this spell with Leinster where he will become a key man, may turn out to be a blessing in disguise.
His recent switch to the back-row was telling, and it will be fascinating to see where Farrell fits him into his grand plan, whenever he calls up Baird further down the line.
Meanwhile, Jack Conan will also be gutted as he has fallen down the pecking order again following his own injury setback.
