IRELAND HEAD COACH Declan Kidney has made eight personnel changes and one positional switch ahead of the World Cup warm-up game with France this weekend.
The Irish face Les Bleus in Bordeax on Saturday night. (Have I mentioned we’ll be going minute-by-minute)
Donncha O’Callaghan returns to international action alongside skipper Leo Cullen with Paul O’Connell named amongst the replacements. Donnacha Ryan switches out of the second row and into the blindside wing-forward position.
There is an entirely new front row, with Cian Healy, Rory Best and Mike Ross coming into the side.
Munster man Conor Murray is also on the bench despite suspicions he might start in the scrum-half position. Instead Eoin Reddan partners Ronan O’Gara, who watched Johnny Sexton at Murrayfield last time out.
Declan Kidney says there’s a good atmosphere in the squad’s Carton House base.
“The boys are turning up for work on time there’s a bit of slagging going on, so I think it’s okay. But the lads are better placed to answer that. I couldn’t ask any more of them they’re working really hard, sometimes you have to pull them off the pitch.
Leo Cullen, who will again captain the side this weekend is expecting a tough battle.
“It’s always a massive challenge going away to face any French team,” he said, “going to France is a massive challenge and we need to be very secure when we have the ball. When you look at their team they have a lot of power and pace.
“It’s going to be their first game of the season, a few of us have played already which is a slight advantage maybe.
“If we give them opportunities, they’re going to be very dangerous so it’s important that we’re very disciplined in the way we play the game. ”
Meanwhile, French coach Marc Lièvremont named his side for Saturday’s game last night, handing an international debut to Biarritz star Raphael Lakafia in the back row.
Elsewhere, Gavin Henson has been handed his chance to push a place on the plane to New Zealand when Wales face England at the Millennium Stadium on Saturday.
Ireland (v France, at Chaban-Delmas, Bordeaux): Kearney, Trimble, Earls, Wallace, Fitzgerald, O’Gara, Reddan, Healy, Best, Ross, O’Callaghan, Cullen, Ryan, O’Brien, Leamy.
Replacements: Flannery, Buckley, O’Connell, Heaslip, Murray, McFadden, Jones.
France: Traille; Clerc, Marty, Mermoz, Palisson; Trinh-Duc, Yachvili; Marconnet, Szarzewski, Ducalcon, Pierre, Millo-Chluski, Dusautoir (c), Harinordoquy, Lakafia.
