The Ireland team to play France this Saturday in Bordeaux shows a total of nine changes to the starting team from the side that played Scotland last weekend.
The back three remains unchanged with Rob Kearney, Andrew Trimble and Luke Fitzgerald all named in the side. Paddy Wallace starts in the centre, with Keith Earls getting his first taste of action this season at outside centre. Ronan O’Gara and Eoin Reddan start the game as the halfback combination.
In the forwards, one of the nine changes to the team is a positional switch, with Donnacha Ryan moving from the second row to the blindside and Donncha O’Callaghan coming in to partner Leo Cullen, who will again captain the team. The other change to the back row is Sean O’Brien, who starts his first game of the August programme. There is an entirely new front row, with Cian Healy, Rory Best and Mike Ross coming into the side.
In the replacements, Paul O’Connell and Jamie Heaslip are named in their first match 22 of the season, with the uncapped former Ireland U20 scrumhalf Conor Murray being named in a match squad for the first time.
Ireland Team & Replacements (v France, Chaban-Delmas, Bordeaux, Saturday, August 13th, kick-off 8.45pm local):
15 – Rob Kearney (UCD/ Leinster)
14 – Andrew Trimble (Ballymena/Ulster)
13 – Keith Earls (Thomond/Munster)
12 – Paddy Wallace (Ballymena/ Ulster)
11 – Luke Fitzgerald (Blackrock College/ Leinster)
10 – Ronan O’Gara (Cork Constitution/Munster)
9 – Eoin Reddan (Lansdowne/Leinster)
1 – Cian Healy (Clontarf/Leinster)
2 – Rory Best (Banbridge/Ulster)
3 – Mike Ross (Clontarf/Leinster)
4 – Donncha O’Callaghan (Cork Constitution/Munster)
5 – Leo Cullen (Blackrock College/Leinster) Captain
6 – Donnacha Ryan (Shannon/Munster)
7 – Sean O’Brien (Clontarf/Leinster)
8 – Denis Leamy (Cork Constitution/Munster)
Replacements:
16 – Jerry Flannery (Shannon/ Munster)
17 – Tony Buckley (Sale Sharks)
18 – Paul O’Connell (Young Munster/Munster)
19 – Jamie Heaslip (Naas/Leinster)
20 – Conor Murray (Garryowen/ Munster)
21 – Fergus McFadden (Old Belvedere/Leinster)
22 – Felix Jones (Shannon/ Munster)
