Ireland name team with three changes for their Grand Slam decider

Andy Farrell has named an Ireland team to host England that has three changes from their win away to Scotland last Sunday. The Irish suffered several injuries in that 22-7 BT Murrayfield success and that has impacted the XV that will chase Guinness Six Nations Grand Slam honours versus the English in Dublin.

The unavailable Garry Ringrose and Iain Henderson have been respectively replaced at outside centre and lock by Robbie Henshaw and Ryan Baird, a pair who played off the bench in Edinburgh. The third alteration sees Jamison Gibson-Park swap places at scrum-half with Conor Murray.

Other alterations from last Sunday’s bench are Rob Herring for the injured Ronan Kelleher at hooker, Kieran Treadwell for the promoted Baird, and Jimmy O’Brien for the promoted Henshaw. Jack Conan has also been named as a replacement after Caelan Doris, the starting No8, recovered from the injury that saw him leave the fray early in Scotland.

Ireland team (vs England, Saturday – 5:0)
15. Hugo Keenan (Leinster/UCD) 29 caps
14. Mack Hansen (Connacht/Corinthians) 13 caps
13. Robbie Henshaw (Leinster/Buccaneers) 61 caps
12. Bundee Aki (Connacht/Galwegians) 45 caps
11. James Lowe (Leinster) 19 caps
10. Johnny Sexton (Leinster/St Mary’s College) 112 caps (c)
9. Jamison Gibson-Park (Leinster) 24 caps
1. Andrew Porter (Leinster/UCD) 52 caps
2. Dan Sheehan (Leinster/Lansdowne) 16 caps
3. Tadhg Furlong (Leinster/Clontarf) 64 caps
4. Ryan Baird (Leinster/Dublin University) 10 caps
5. James Ryan (Leinster/UCD) 52 caps
6. Peter O’Mahony (Munster/Cork Constitution) 93 caps
7. Josh van der Flier (Leinster/UCD) 49 caps
8. Caelan Doris (Leinster/St Mary’s College) 27 caps

Replacements:
16. Rob Herring (Ulster/Ballynahinch) 33 caps
17. Cian Healy (Leinster/Clontarf) 122 caps
18. Tom O’Toole (Ulster/Ballynahinch) 8 caps
19. Kieran Treadwell (Ulster/Ballymena) 10 caps
20. Jack Conan (Leinster/Old Belvedere) 37 caps
21. Conor Murray (Munster/Garryowen) 104 caps
22. Ross Byrne (Leinster/UCD) 18 caps
23. Jimmy O’Brien (Leinster/Naas) 4 caps