Ireland’s Andy Farrell makes six changes to side which beat Italy in Rome in Six Nations Round 3: Skipper and fly-half Johnny Sexton, centre Garry Ringrose, tighthead Tadhg Furlong return from injury, while hooker Dan Sheehan, scrum-half Conor Murray and blindside Peter O’Mahony start
By Michael Cantillon
Last Updated: 10/03/23 1:36pm
Johnny Sexton returns to lead Ireland as captain at Murrayfield
Johnny Sexton, Garry Ringrose and Tadhg Furlong have each proved their fitness to start in Ireland’s Six Nations clash away to Scotland on Sunday.
Andy Farrell’s charges, unbeaten and chasing a Grand Slam, are able to call on skipper Sexton (groin) and key centre Ringrose (calf) again after knocks kept out of the trip to Italy, while Furlong (calf) returns for his first start of the championship at tighthead.
Elsewhere in the side, Bundee Aki is preferred to Stuart McCloskey at inside centre – the latter missing out on the squad altogether due to Robbie Henshaw’s return from a wrist injury on the bench – while Conor Murray starts at scrum-half despite Jamison Gibson-Park’s return from a hamstring injury.
Dan Sheehan starts over Ronan Kelleher at hooker, while Peter O’Mahony returns at blindside flanker, shifting Caelan Doris back to No 8, and Jack Conan to the replacements bench.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Ireland captain Sexton says the current Scotland side is the best he has come up against in his career
Ireland captain Sexton says the current Scotland side is the best he has come up against in his career
The only other change to …