IRELAND BOSS ANDY Farrell has brought Jack Conan and Mack Hansen into his starting team for Saturday’s crucial Guinness Six Nations showdown with Scotland in Dublin [KO 4.45pm, Virgin Media One].
Conan returns at number eight, having scored a try as a replacement last weekend against England, as Peter O’Mahony drops to the bench. Caelan Doris shifts to the number six shirt.
Meanwhile, Connacht man Hansen comes in on the right wing in place of Andrew Conway, who misses out on the matchday squad, with Ireland reporting that the Munster man is being “managed for a knee niggle.”
Hansen started the first three games of Ireland’s Six Nations campaign, impressing in his first campaign in Test rugby, but missed out on selection for the England clash.
As expected, Iain Henderson starts in the Ireland second row in place of James Ryan, who was ruled out after suffering a head injury early on in the win over England last weekend.
Ulster lock Kieran Treadwell comes onto the Irish bench and is set for his second appearance of this Six Nations.
Otherwise, it’s an unchanged Ireland selection as Hugo Keenan and James Lowe continue in the back three along with Hansen, while Garry Ringrose and Bundee Aki start in midfield again. Captain Johnny Sexton is partnered by Jamison Gibson-Park in the halfbacks.
The front row of Cian Healy, Dan Sheehan, and Tadhg Furlong get a chance to bounce back from last weekend’s tough outing at the scrum in Twickenham, while Tadhg Beirne continues in the second row, as Josh van der Flier is retained at number seven.
Victory for Ireland on Saturday would see them claim their first Triple Crown since 2018, while it would also leave them in position to win the championship if France slip up against England that evening in Paris.
Earlier, Scotland sprung a major selection surprise as head coach Gregor Townsend dropped Finn Russell to the bench and handed Blair Kinghorn a start in the number 10 shirt. Jonny Gray has returned to the Scottish second row in their only other change.
Ireland (v Scotland):
- 15. Hugo Keenan
- 14. Mack Hansen
- 13. Garry Ringrose
- 12. Bundee Aki
- 11. James Lowe
- 10. Johnny Sexton (captain)
- 9. Jamison Gibson-Park
- 1. Cian Healy
- 2. Dan Sheehan
- 3. Tadhg Furlong
- 4. Tadhg Beirne
- 5. Iain Henderson
- 6. Caelan Doris
- 7. Josh van der Flier
- 8. Jack Conan
Replacements:
- 16. Rob Herring
- 17. Dave Kilcoyne
- 18. Finlay Bealham
- 19. Kieran Treadwell
- 20. Peter O’Mahony
- 21. Conor Murray
- 22. Joey Carbery
- 23. Robbie Henshaw
Referee: Wayne Barnes [RFU].
