After pulverizing England with a 42-21 scoreline in the Six Nations, Ireland's head coach Andy Farrell isn't resting on his laurels but tweaking his squad for the upcoming battle against Wales. This shake-up sees a significant Ulster influence in the starting lineup, and a notable bench role that could mark a debut to remember.
Farrell has stirred the pot by swapping out Josh van der Flier for the Ulster flanker Nick Timoney, following the latter's sterling performances as a substitute. The injury to Jeremy Loughman has paved the way for Tom O’Toole to step up, while Jacob Stockdale secures a wing position over James Lowe. With Stuart McCloskey and Robert Baloucoune holding their ground, the Ulster contingent in the starting lineup swells to five.
In the backline reshuffle, Jamie Osborne joins forces with Baloucoune and Stockdale, while McCloskey pairs with Garry Ringrose in the center field. As for the scrum-half and fly-half roles, Jack Crowley and Jamison Gibson-Park retain their positions after their commendable performances against England.
Up front, shifts continue with Tadhg Beirne moving to lock beside James Ryan, allowing Jack Conan to join the back row. The front row sees Tadhg Furlong holding fast as Kelleher and O’Toole are trusted to start. On the bench, Farrell maintains a 5-3 forward-back split, introducing prospects like hooker Tom Stewart and potential debutant scrum-half Nathan Doak.
"We have two special milestones in the squad this week at opposite ends of the scrum-half spectrum. I would firstly like to congratulate Nathan on his first international selection,"
Farrell expressed, signaling high hopes for Doak's debut.
"Also, Jamison becomes the 61st Irish international to reach the 50-cap mark which is an incredible achievement for a top-class professional."
The stage is set for an exhilarating encounter at Dublin's Aviva Stadium, with Ireland looking to capitalize on their current form and integrate fresh talent against a challenging Welsh side.
Ireland Team to Face Wales: 15 Jamie Osborne, 14 Robert Baloucoune, 13 Garry Ringrose, 12 Stuart McCloskey, 11 Jacob Stockdale, 10 Jack Crowley, 9 Jamison Gibson-Park, 8 Caelan Doris (c), 7 Nick Timoney, 6 Jack Conan, 5 Tadhg Beirne, 4 James Ryan, 3 Tadhg Furlong, 2 Rónan Kelleher, 1 Tom O’Toole Replacements: 16 Tom Stewart, 17 Michael Milne, 18 Thomas Clarkson, 19 Joe McCarthy, 20 Josh van der Flier, 21 Nathan Doak, 22 Tom Farrell, 23 Ciaran Frawley Date: Friday, March 6 Venue: Aviva Stadium, Dublin Kick-off: 20:10 GMT Referee: Karl Dickson (RFU) Assistant referees: Nika
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After pulverizing England with a 42-21 scoreline in the Six Nations, Ireland's head coach Andy Farrell isn't resting on his laurels but tweaking his squad for the upcoming battle against Wales. This shake-up sees a significant Ulster influence in the starting lineup, and a notable bench role that could mark a debut to remember.
Farrell has stirred the pot by swapping out Josh van der Flier for the Ulster flanker Nick Timoney, following the latter's sterling performances as a substitute. The injury to Jeremy Loughman has paved the way for Tom O’Toole to step up, while Jacob Stockdale secures a wing position over James Lowe. With Stuart McCloskey and Robert Baloucoune holding their ground, the Ulster contingent in the starting lineup swells to five.
In the backline reshuffle, Jamie Osborne joins forces with Baloucoune and Stockdale, while McCloskey pairs with Garry Ringrose in the center field. As for the scrum-half and fly-half roles, Jack Crowley and Jamison Gibson-Park retain their positions after their commendable performances against England.
Up front, shifts continue with Tadhg Beirne moving to lock beside James Ryan, allowing Jack Conan to join the back row. The front row sees Tadhg Furlong holding fast as Kelleher and O’Toole are trusted to start. On the bench, Farrell maintains a 5-3 forward-back split, introducing prospects like hooker Tom Stewart and potential debutant scrum-half Nathan Doak.
"We have two special milestones in the squad this week at opposite ends of the scrum-half spectrum. I would firstly like to congratulate Nathan on his first international selection,"
Farrell expressed, signaling high hopes for Doak's debut."Also, Jamison becomes the 61st Irish international to reach the 50-cap mark which is an incredible achievement for a top-class professional."
The stage is set for an exhilarating encounter at Dublin's Aviva Stadium, with Ireland looking to capitalize on their current form and integrate fresh talent against a challenging Welsh side.
Ireland Team to Face Wales:
15 Jamie Osborne, 14 Robert Baloucoune, 13 Garry Ringrose, 12 Stuart McCloskey, 11 Jacob Stockdale, 10 Jack Crowley, 9 Jamison Gibson-Park, 8 Caelan Doris (c), 7 Nick Timoney, 6 Jack Conan, 5 Tadhg Beirne, 4 James Ryan, 3 Tadhg Furlong, 2 Rónan Kelleher, 1 Tom O’Toole
Replacements: 16 Tom Stewart, 17 Michael Milne, 18 Thomas Clarkson, 19 Joe McCarthy, 20 Josh van der Flier, 21 Nathan Doak, 22 Tom Farrell, 23 Ciaran Frawley
Date: Friday, March 6
Venue: Aviva Stadium, Dublin
Kick-off: 20:10 GMT
Referee: Karl Dickson (RFU)
Assistant referees: Nika