The Ireland coaching group have named the team to take on Wales at the Principality Stadium in the first round of the 2021 Guinness Six Nations Championship.
Cian Healy will make his 50th Championship appearance as he wins his 105th cap for Ireland. He is joined in the is joined in the front row by Rob Herring and Andrew Porter.
Tadhg Beirne and James Ryan form the lock partnership with Peter O’Mahony, Josh van der Flier and CJ Stander named in the backrow.
Johnny Sexton will captain the side as he competes in his twelfth Six Nations Championship.
He is joined in the half-backs by Conor Murray who is one of five players from the match day squad who played in Ireland’s last Six Nations victory in Cardiff in 2013 (Murray, Sexton, Healy, O’Mahony and Earls).
Robbie Henshaw and Garry Ringrose are partnered in midfield having last started a Test match together in the quarter-final of the 2019 Rugby World Cup.
Hugo Keenan is selected at fullback with Keith Earls and James Lowe, making his Guinness Six Nations debut, named on the wing.
The replacements are Ronan Kelleher, Dave Kilcoyne, Tadgh Furlong, Iain Henderson, Will Connors, Jamison Gibson Park, Billy Burns and Jordan Larmour.
The game kicks off at 3pm on Sunday and will be televised on Virgin Media in the Republic of Ireland and on BBC in Northern Ireland
Press Release from Irish Rugby
