CAELAN DORIS WILL captain Ireland for the first time when Ireland welcome Italy to Aviva Stadium on Sunday [KO 3pm, Virgin Media].

The Leinster backrow captains the side in place of Peter O’Mahony, who misses out on the matchday 23 for Ireland’s first home game of the 2024 Six Nations. The 25-year-old becomes the 110th player to captain the Ireland men’s team in Test rugby.

Ireland host Italy after opening their campaign with a stunning 38-17 defeat of France, and head coach Andy Farrell has made six changes from the team that started last Friday’s record win in Marseille. 

Stuart McCloskey, Craig Casey, Finlay Bealham, James Ryan, Ryan Baird and Jack Conan all come into the starting 15.

Farrell has reverted to naming five forwards and three backs among the replacements, having opted for a 6/2 split for the first time in Marseille.

The Ireland boss has retained the same back three that started at the Stade Vélodrome, with Hugo Keenan continuing at fullback and James Lowe and Calvin Nash on the wings.

Robbie Henshaw continues at outside but is joined by Ulster’s McCloskey in the Ireland midfield, as Bundee Aki misses out.

Jack Crowley starts again at 10 with his Munster teammate Casey named at scrum-half.

Bealham is a new addition to the front row, packing down alongside Andrew Porter and Dan Sheehan.

Ryan returns to the second row having started on the bench in France, with 22-year-old Joe McCarthy backed to deliver again after starring on his Six Nations debut last week.

Doris captains the side from the backrow, but makes a rare start at openside. Doris previously started at 7 for Ireland in the World Cup warm-up game against Italy last August.

Baird and Conan also start in an all-Leinster backrow.

Rónan Kelleher, Jeremy Loughman and Tom O’Toole provide the front row replacements on the Ireland bench, as Ulster’s Iain Henderson also returns to the matchday 23.

Josh van der Flier provides backrow cover, while Leinster trio Jamison Gibson-Park, Harry Byrne and Jordan Larmour are the backline replacements.

For the visitors, star full-back Ange Capuozzo and scrum-half Stephen Varney make their return.

Capuozzo, ruled out of the 27-24 defeat by England last week through illness, starts with Tommaso Allan — a try scorer against the English — falling to the bench.

Varney is named at half-back alongside Paolo Garbisi, with scrum-half cover offered by Martin Page-Relo.

Michele Lamaro skippers the team from No 8, with Manuel Zuliani and Alessandro Izekor the starting flankers in the absence through injury of Sebastian Negri (ribs) and Lorenzo Cannone (leg).

Lorenzo Pani gets another start on the right wing as does Monty Ioane on the left outside the retained midfield partnership of Juan Ignacio Brex and Tommaso Menoncello.

The front five, comprising locks Federico Ruzza and Niccolo Cannone, and frontrow forwards Pietro Ceccarelli, Gianmarco Lucchesi and Danilo Fischetti, is unchanged from the England game.

South Africa-born Exeter No 8 Ross Vintcent is in line to win his first cap after being named on the bench.

Additional reporting – © AFP 2024

IRELAND (v Italy):

• 15. Hugo Keenan
• 14. Calvin Nash
• 13. Robbie Henshaw 
• 12. Stuart McCloskey
• 11. James Lowe 
• 10. Jack Crowley 
• 9. Craig Casey

• 1. Andrew Porter
• 2. Dan Sheehan 
• 3. Finlay Bealham 
• 4. Joe McCarthy 
• 5. James Ryan 
• 6. Ryan Baird 
• 7. Caelan Doris (captain)
• 8. Jack Conan

Replacements:

• 16. Ronan Kelleher
• 17. Jeremy Loughman
• 18. Tom O’Toole
• 19. Iain Henderson 
• 20. Josh van der Flier 
• 21. Jamison Gibson-Park
• 22. Harry Byrne
• 23. Jordan Larmour

 ITALY:

• 15. Ange Capuozzo
• 14. Lorenzo Pani
• 13. Juan Ignacio Brex
• 12. Tommaso Menoncello
• 11. Monty Ioane
• 10. Paolo Garbisi
• 9. Stephen Varney

• 1. Danilo Fischetti
• 2. Gianmarco Lucchesi
• 3. Pietro Ceccarelli
• 4. Niccolo Cannone
• 5. Federico Ruzza
• 6. Alessandro Izekor
• 7. Manuel Zuliani.
• 8. Michele Lamaro (captain)

Replacements:

• 16. Giacomo Nicotera
• 17. Mirco Spagnolo
• 18. Giosue Zilocchi
• 19. Andrea Zambonin
• 20. Ross Vintcent
• 21. Martin Page-Relo
• 22. Tommaso Allan
• 23. Federico Mori