With just three days until the Guinness Six Nations returns, speculation is starting to intensify surrounding team news for Round 2 and which sides will stamp their authority on the Championship.
Wales toppled Italy in Round 1 and Ireland edged past Scotland 19-12 in Dublin, while England succumbed to a 24-17 defeat at the Stade de France to leave Eddie Jones’ men heading to BT Murrayfield this weekend searching for a win.
And another eye-catching contest of the next round comes from the Aviva Stadium, where Wales travel to Ireland bidding to find the sort of form that saw them waltz to the Grand Slam last year.
France take on Italy in Paris but it was Andy Farrell’s boys in green who hit the headlines first with their team news this week, selecting their 23-man outfit on Tuesday for the visit of the defending champions.
Ireland
The main news was the inclusion of Leinster’s Robbie Henshaw in midfield, replacing domestic teammate Garry Ringrose – who suffered a finger injury against Scotland – alongside Connacht’s Bundee Aki in the centres.
Elsewhere, Peter O’Mahony comes in for the injured Caelan Doris in the back row, while Conor Murray retains his place ahead of John Cooney at scrum-half.
And Farrell has also made two changes to his bench, with Keith Earls poised and ready for an appearance after being declared fit and Max Deegan on the cusp of his international debut.
Ireland team to face Wales: Jordan Larmour, Andrew Conway, Robbie Henshaw, Bundee Aki, Jacob Stockdale, Jonathan Sexton, Conor Murray, Cian Healy, Rob Herring, Tadhg Furlong, Iain Henderson, James Ryan, Peter O’Mahony, Josh van der Flier, CJ Stander
Replacements:Â Ronan Kelleher, Dave Kilcoyne, Andrew Porter, Devin Toner, Max Deegan, John Cooney, Ross Byrne, Keith Earls
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Source: 6 Nations