Rugby World Cup: John Cooney 'unfortunate' to miss out on Ireland squad
- Published
Cooney has made eight appearances for Ireland
John Cooney's omission from Ireland's World Cup squad was a result of the strong competition for playing time at scrum-half, says skills coach Richie Murphy.
Ulster's Cooney returned to his province last week as Joe Schmidt trimmed his panel to 40 players.
"It's a decision that was based on what we've seen from the guys," said Murphy.
"We're in a very lucky position that we've got four really good scrum-halves."
Cooney, 29, has enjoyed two impressive seasons since joining Ulster from Connacht and has won eight Ireland caps since making his international debut in Japan two years ago.
Since his move to Belfast, Ireland have had a home-grown scrum-half starting at each province which has presented head coach Joe Schmidt with a constant selection dilemma.
With Conor Murray the established first choice nine, Cooney has vied with Connacht's Kieran Marmion and Luke McGrath of Leinster for playing time.
"The feeling was that we didn't have enough time to give four guys game-time in preparation for the World Cup," Murphy said.
"It's unfortunate for John he's the one that has missed out on this occasion.
"If something was to happen and John was to come back into the squad we would be very happy because he's a fantastic player."
With three warm-up games remaining it is unclear if Schmidt will opt to bring two or three scrum-halves as part of his final 31-man squad, although it is looking increasingly likely that just two nines will make the final cut to accommodate three fly-halves.
Meanwhile Cooney's thoughts have returned to the start of a new season with Ulster, which will begin with a home Pro14 fixture against Ospreys on 27 September.