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Ireland make 12 changes and also name three new caps on bench
By Liam Heagney
Andy Farrell has revealed an Ireland team to take on Italy that has 12 changes from the starting XV in their Grand Slam-clinching win over England 20 weeks ago and includes three uncapped caps players – Tom Stewart, Ciaran Frawley and Calvin Nash – on their bench.
That 29-16 success on March 18 consolidated the Irish position at the top of the World Rugby rankings and heading into their Summer Nations Series opener in Dublin ahead of the upcoming Rugby World Cup in France, the head coach has opted to explore his squad depth.
With games against England and Samoa to follow later this month, the match versus the Azzurri is the first of three warm-ups before Farrell will cut his 42-strong squad to the requisite 33 on August 28 for the finals.
Just three of the winners who started against the English are included – midfielder Robbie Henshaw, second row Ryan Baird, who will start at blindside on this occasion, and No8 Caelan Doris, who has been chosen at openside.
Iain Henderson will skipper the team, partnering Joe McCarthy at second row behind a front row of David Kilcoyne, Rob Herring and Tom O’Toole. Jack Conan at No8 completes the pack.
In the backs, Keith Earls features in the back three along with Jimmy O’Brien and Jacob Stockdale, Stuart McCloskey partners Henshaw at centre, while the half-backs are Jack Crowley and Craig Casey. Joining the newcomers Stewart, Frawley and Nash on the bench are Cian Healy, Tadhg Furlong, Cian Prendergast, Tadhg Beirne and Caolin Blade.
Ireland (vs Italy, Saturday – 8pm)
15. Jimmy O’Brien (Leinster/Naas) (5)
14. Keith Earls (Munster/Young Munster) (98)
13. Robbie Henshaw (Leinster/Buccaneers) (63)
12. Stuart McCloskey (Ulster/Bangor (12)
11. Jacob Stockdale (Ulster/Lurgan) (35)
10. Jack Crowley (Munster/Cork Constitution) (3)
9. Craig Casey (Munster/Shannon) (10)
1. David Kilcoyne (Munster/UL Bohemian) (51)
2. Rob Herring (Ulster/Ballynahinch) (34)
3. Tom O’Toole (Ulster/Ballynahinch) (9)
4: Iain Henderson (Ulster/Academy) (72) (captain)
5. Joe McCarthy (Leinster/Dublin University) (1)
6. Ryan Baird (Leinster/Dublin University) (11)
7. Caelan Doris (Leinster/St. Mary’s College) (28)
8. Jack Conan (Leinster/Old Belvedere) (38)
Replacements:
16. Tom Stewart (Ulster/Ballynahinch)*
17. Cian Healy (Leinster/Clontarf) (123)
18. Tadhg Furlong (Leinster/Clontarf) (65)
19. Tadhg Beirne (Munster/Lansdowne) (38)
20. Cian Prendergast (Connacht/UCD) (1)
21. Caolin Blade (Connacht/Galwegians) (1)
22. Ciaran Frawley (Leinster/UCD)*
23. Calvin Nash (Munster/Young Munster)*
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Latest Comments
Warren, if you think you should stay on coaching Wales, you are beyond deluded. If you love Wales & Welsh rugby as much as you say you do (& I'm sure you probably do) you should resign immediately so this once proud & passionate rugby nation can rebuild without you. How many of your players will make the British & Irish Lions squad.?
It's time to walk the plank.!
Go to commentsYeah nar I pretty much agree with that sentiment, wasn't just about the lineout though.
Yeah, I think it's the future of SR, even TRC. Graham above just now posting about how good a night it was with a dbl header of ENGvSA and NZvFrance, and now I don't want to kick SA or Argentina out of TRC but it would be great if in this next of the woods 2 more top teams could come in to create more of these sort of nights (for rugby's appeal). Often Arg and SA and both travel here and you get those games but more often doesn't work out right.
Obviously a long way off but USA and Japan are the obvious two. First thing we need to do is get Eddie Jones kicked out of Japan so they can start improving again and then get a couple of US teams in SRP (even if one its just a US based and augmented Jaguares).
It will start off the whole conferences are crap debate again (which I will continue to argue vehemently against), but imagine a 6 team Pacific conference, Tokyo Sunwolves (drafted from Tokyo JRLO teams), Tokyo All Stars (made up of best remaining foreign players and overseas drafts), ALL Nihon (best of local non Tokyo based talent, inc China/Korea etc, with mainland Japan), a could of West Coast american franchises and perhaps a second self PI driven Hawai'i based team, or Jagaures. So I see a short NFL like 3 or 4 month comp as fitting best, maybe not even a full round, NZvAUSvPAC, all games taking place within a 6hr window. Model for NZ will definitely still require a competitive and funded NPC!
On the Crusaders, I liked last years ending with Grace on the bench (ovbiously form dependent but thats how it ended) and Lio-Willie at 8. I could have Blackadder trying to be a 7 but think balance will be used with him at 6 and Kellow as 7. Scott Barrett is an international 6 sized player. It is just NZ style/model that pushes him into the tight, I reckon he'd be a great loose player, and saders have Strange and Cahill as bigger players (plus that change could draw someone like Darry back). Same with Haig now, hes not grown yet but Barrett hight and been playing 6, now that the Highlanders have only chosen two locks he'll be playing lock, and that is going to change his growth trajectory massively, rather than seeing him grow like an International 6.
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