Andy Farrell has made six changes to Ireland’s starting XV for Saturday’s penultimate 2022 Six Nations game against England at Twickenham (kick-off 4.45pm).
The fit again quartet of Andrew Conway, Bundee Aki, Johnny Sexton and James Ryan are all restored, as is Hugo Keenan at fullback, while Cian Healy comes in for the injured Andrew Porter.
This means that Peter O’Mahony is retained in the backrow and Caelan Doris remains at number ‘8’, with Jack Conan on the bench, where he is joined by Iain Henderson, who missed the Italian game a fortnight ago after contracting Covid-19, and the recalled Conor Murray. Both Joey Carbery and Robbie Henshaw return to the replacements.
After an element of experimentation against Italy, not least in affording Michael Lowry his debut to interrupt Keenan’s run of 18 successive Tests since his debut in October 2020, a title eliminator with the auld enemy at HQ demands that Farrell and his assistants pick what they believe to be their strongest line-up.
In the heel of the hunt, this is the bulk of the team which started out this year’s Six Nations with that 29-7 bonus point win over Wales. The exceptions are James Lowe being back in the mix after missing the first two rounds with a hamstring injury, and so Mack Hansen misses out, while Andrew Porter and Ronan Kelleher have since been sidelined. The one exception not related to injuries is O’Mahony comi …
- March 10, 2022
