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Ireland name team to host France in Six Nations round two
By Liam Heagney
Andy Farrell has named an Ireland team to play France this Saturday in Dublin that contains one change from last Saturday’s Guinness Six Nations round one win over Wales in Cardiff. The Irish ran out impressive 34-10 winners at the Principality Stadium and Farrell has reacted by keeping faith with that same XV as much as possible.
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The sole change is injury-enforced, Dan Sheehan missing out due to a hamstring strain and Rob Herring getting promoted from the bench where his No16 jersey now goes to Ronan Kelleher. With Jamison Gibson-Park and Tadhg Furlong still missing through injury, Conor Murray and Finlay Bealham are again included at scrum-half and tighthead respectively.
There was a doubt over Murray’s participation, as a family emergency took place on Tuesday, but he has been named to start at half-back alongside skipper Johnny Sexton, who put his own injury concern to bed by declaring his full fitness on Wednesday.
Ireland (vs France, Saturday – 2:15pm)
15. Hugo Keenan (Leinster/UCD) 26 caps
14. Mack Hansen (Connacht/Corinthians) 10 caps
13. Garry Ringrose (Leinster/UCD) 48 caps
12. Stuart McCloskey (Ulster/Bangor) 10 caps
11. James Lowe (Leinster) 16 caps
10. Johnny Sexton (Leinster/St Mary’s College) 110 caps (c)
9. Conor Murray (Munster/Garryowen) 101 caps
1. Andrew Porter (Leinster/UCD) 49 caps
2. Rob Herring (Ulster/Ballynahinch) 32 caps
3. Finlay Bealham (Connacht/Buccaneers) 28 caps
4. Tadhg Beirne (Munster/Lansdowne) 37 caps
5. James Ryan (Leinster/UCD) 49 caps
6. Peter O’Mahony (Munster/Cork Constitution) 90 caps
7. Josh van der Flier (Leinster/UCD) 46 caps
8. Caelan Doris (Leinster/St Mary’s College) 24 caps
Replacements:
16. Ronan Kelleher (Leinster/Lansdowne) 18 caps
17. Dave Kilcoyne (Munster/UL Bohemians) 49 caps
18. Tom O’Toole (Ulster/Ballynahinch) 5 caps
19. Iain Henderson (Ulster/Academy) 69 caps
20. Jack Conan (Leinster/Old Belvedere) 34 caps
21. Craig Casey (Munster/Shannon) 8 caps
22. Ross Byrne (Leinster/UCD) 15 caps
23. Bundee Aki (Connacht/Galwegians) 42 caps