Seven changes, and only two of them forced
Ireland put 42 points on Argentina last Friday. Andy Farrell still changed seven of the men who did it.
The team to host Fiji at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday night was named this morning, and Tadhg Beirne keeps the captaincy. Two of the changes were out of Farrell’s hands. Dan Sheehan is following concussion protocols and Sean Jansen has a knee problem, so Ronan Kelleher takes the hooker’s shirt between Andrew Porter and Tadhg Furlong, and Nick Timoney moves into the No 8 role.
The rest is a mix of rotation and recovered bodies. Hugo Keenan, who ran in a hat-trick against the Pumas, is rested. Joe McCarthy sits out too, which brings James Ryan up from the bench to partner Beirne in the second row.
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Gibson-Park in, Casey to the bench
The headline selection is at nine. Jamison Gibson-Park starts again and Craig Casey drops to the replacements. Sam Prendergast stays at fly-half.
Midfield looks different. Bundee Aki and Jamie Osborne form the centre partnership, Stuart McCloskey drops to the bench and Robbie Henshaw misses out on the 23 altogether. Out wide, Rob Baloucoune has been passed fit to start, and Mack Hansen shrugs off an ankle knock to take Keenan’s place at full-back. Tommy O’Brien comes into the back three on the left wing.
Josh van der Flier had his own ankle worry this week. He starts at openside, with Ryan Baird on the blindside and Timoney at the base. Jack Conan and Caelan Doris remain out injured, which explains why the back row needed reshuffling at all.
A debut on the bench
Ulster flanker James McNabney is uncapped and sits at No 20. If he comes on, it will be his first Test. Tom Stewart, Tom O’Toole, Sam Illo, Darragh Murray, Casey, Ciaran Frawley and McCloskey make up the rest of the replacements.
Ireland’s run in the Nations Championship reads won three, lost one, the only defeat a 40-21 hammering in New Zealand in July. Fiji arrive in Dublin after conceding eight tries to France. Kick-off is 8.10pm, and South Africa come to town a week later, which goes some way to explaining who Farrell chose to keep fresh.
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