JOE SCHMIDT HAS named Luke Fitzgerald at outside centre for Saturday’s World Cup warm-up meeting with Wales at the Aviva Stadium (KO 2.30pm).
The Leinster man joins Robbie Henshaw in an exciting midfield combination, with Johnny Sexton and Conor Murray forming a first-choice halfback pairing for Ireland.
Rob Kearney returns to the starting XV at fullback, while his brother Dave gets a chance to impress on the right wing and Munster’s Keith Earls is on the left, having started at 13 against Wales earlier this month.
Nathan White gets his first international start at tighthead, joining Richardt Strauss and Jack McGrath in the front row. Captain Paul O’Connell forms the locking partnership with Ulsterman Iain Henderson.
In the back row, Schmidt gives Jordi Murphy a start at openside, while Peter O’Mahony gets his first outing of the season on the blindside and Jamie Heaslip is back at number eight.
The bench features Sean O’Brien, Donnacha Ryan, Dave Kilcoyne, Sean Cronin, Paddy Jackson, Eoin Reddan and Felix Jones, with Wexford native Tadhg Furlong set to make his debut off the bench.
Ireland (v Wales):
15. Rob Kearney
14. Dave Kearney
13. Luke Fitzgerald
12. Robbie Henshaw
11. Keith Earls
10. Johnny Sexton
9. Conor Murray
1. Jack McGrath
2. Richardt Strauss
3. Nathan White
4. Iain Henderson
5. Paul O’Connell (captain)
6. Peter O’Mahony
7. Jordi Murphy
8. Jamie Heaslip
Replacements:
16. Sean Cronin
17. Dave Kilcoyne
18. Tahdg Furlong
19. Donnacha Ryan
20. Sean O’Brien
21. Eoin Reddan
22. Paddy Jackson
23. Felix Jones
