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Ireland name 11 of their Grand Slam starters to take on England
By Liam Heagney
Andy Farrell has named an entirely changed Ireland team from last time out to take on England in Dublin this Saturday in the Summer Nations Series. The world No1-ranked Irish began their preparations for next month’s Rugby World Cup with a 33-17 Aviva Stadium win over Italy on August 5.
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They have since been in Portugal at a warm-weather training camp and also reduced their squad to 38, and now they have changed up their team selection for the second dress rehearsal ahead of France 2023.
There is selection consistency despite the wholesale changes from the Italian success, as 11 of this weekend’s starters were in the XV that defeated England in Dublin last March to clinch the Guinness Six Nations Grand Slam.
Hugo Keenan, Mack Hansen, Bundee Aki, James Lowe and Jamison Gibson-Park are all familiar faces from the title clincher and they have been named in a backline that also features Garry Ringrose and Ross Byrne who take the spots of Robbie Henshaw and the suspended Johnny Sexton.
In the pack, Andrew Porter, Dan Sheehan, Tadhg Furlong, James Ryan, Peter O’Mahony and Josh van der Flier are included again from that last English outing, with Tadhg Beirne and Cian Prendergast the two additions to a team that will be skippered by Ryan. Ryan Baird and Caelan Doris are the two Grand Slam starters absent from the forwards.
The inclusion of Prendergast at No8 for his first-ever Test start is interesting given the concern over Jack Conan, who went off injured versus Italy. Of note on the bench is the inclusion of Keith Earls, a selection that gives him the chance to win his 100th cap and become the ninth Irish player to become a Test centurion.
Ireland (vs England, Saturday – 5:30pm)
15. Hugo Keenan (Leinster/UCD)(30)
14. Mack Hansen (Connacht/Corinthians)(14)
13. Garry Ringrose (Leinster/UCD)(50)
12. Bundee Aki (Connacht/Galwegians)(46)
11. James Lowe (Leinster)(20)
10. Ross Byrne (Leinster/UCD)(19)
9. Jamison Gibson-Park (Leinster)(25)
1. Andrew Porter (Leinster/UCD)(53)
2. Dan Sheehan (Leinster/Lansdowne)(17)
3. Tadhg Furlong (Leinster/Clontarf)(66)
4. Tadhg Beirne (Munster/Lansdowne)(39)
5. James Ryan (Leinster/UCD)(captain)(53)
6. Peter O’Mahony (Munster/Cork Constitution)(94)
7. Josh van der Flier (Leinster/UCD)(50)
8. Cian Prendergast (Connacht/UCD)(2)
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Replacements:
16. Rob Herring (Ulster/Ballynahinch)(35)
17. Jeremy Loughman (Munster/Garryowen)(1)
18. Finlay Bealham (Connacht/Buccaneers)(30)
19. Joe McCarthy (Leinster/Dublin University)(2)
20. Caelan Doris (Leinster/St Mary’s College)(29)
21. Conor Murray (Munster/Garryowen)(105)
22. Jack Crowley (Munster/Cork Constitution)(4)
23. Keith Earls (Munster/Young Munster)(99)
