Four changes for Ireland who also go with a six/two bench split

Andy Farrell has unveiled an Ireland team to take on France in the Guinness Six Nations that has four changes from the starting XV eliminated at the Rugby World Cup quarter-finals. It was October 14 when the Irish were defeated 24-28 by New Zealand in Paris.

Sixteen weeks on from that massive disappointment, Ireland will be back in France on Friday to play Fabien Galthie’s side in Marseille, and Farrell will go into that match with four alterations – three in the backs and one more in his pack.

With veteran skipper Johnny Sexton having retired following the World Cup, there was great focus on who would take over the No10 shirt in his absence and the 24-year-old Jack Crowley, an unused sub versus the All Blacks, will make the step-up to start his first-ever championship match in his 10th career appearance.

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Elsewhere in the backs, Robbie Henshaw has taken over the No13 jersey from Garry Ringrose. The omitted midfielder had been nursing a shoulder injury from Leinster’s recent Investec Champions Cup win at Leicester. Meanwhile, Calvin Nash will earn his second cap on the right wing for the injured Mack Hansen.

In the pack, Farrell has resisted the temptation to restore the fit-again James Ryan to the starting line-up, opting instead for a second row where the youthful Joe McCarthy, a sub against New Zealand, will take Iain Henderson’s starting place for a Six Nations debut alongside Tadhg Beirne.

On the bench, Ireland have opted for a six-two forwards/backs split which mirrors the replacements divide announced earlier on Wednesday by Fabien Galthie’s France.

Conor Murray and Ciaran Frawley are Farrell’s two reserve backs, with Ryan added as extra forward along with Ronan Kelleher, Cian Healy, Finlay Bealham, Ryan Baird and Jack Conan.

Ireland (vs France – Friday, 8pm)
15. Hugo Keenan (UCD/Leinster) (36)
14. Calvin Nash (Young Munster/Munster) (1)
13. Robbie Henshaw (Buccaneers/Leinster) (67)
12. Bundee Aki (Galwegians/Connacht) (52)
11. James Lowe (Leinster) (26)
10. Jack Crowley (Cork Constitution/Munster) (9)
9. Jamison Gibson-Park (Leinster) (30)
1. Andrew Porter (UCD/Leinster) (59)
2. Dan Sheehan (Lansdowne/Leinster) (21)
3. Tadhg Furlong (Clontarf/Leinster) (72)
4. Joe McCarthy (Dublin University/Leinster) (5)
5. Tadhg Beirne (Lansdowne/Munster) (46)
6. Peter O’Mahony (Cork Constitution/Munster – captain) (101)
7. Josh van der Flier (UCD/Leinster) (57)
8. Caelan Doris (St Mary’s College/Leinster) (36)

Replacements:
16. Ronan Kelleher (Lansdowne/Leinster) (26)
17. Cian Healy (Clontarf/Leinster) (125)
18. Finlay Bealham (Buccaneers/Connacht) (36)
19. James Ryan (UCD/Leinster) (59)
20. Ryan Baird (Dublin University/Leinster) (15)
21. Jack Conan (Old Belvedere/Leinster) (41)
22. Conor Murray (Garryowen/Munster) (112)
23. Ciaran Frawley (UCD/Leinster) (1)

Head-to-Head

Last 5 Meetings

Wins

3

Draws

0

Wins

2

Average Points scored

25

27

First try wins

100%

Home team wins

40%