Ireland head coach Joe Schmidt has named Jordan Larmour at full-back for the team’s Rugby World Cup opener against Scotland on Sunday.
Reports during the week had claimed that Rob Kearney and Keith Earls would miss the game through calf and knee injuries respectively, however, assistant coach Andy Farrell said they would be available for selection this weekend.
Despite that the duo along with Robbie Henshaw have missed out on the 23. With that in mind, Schmidt has decided to go with Larmour at 15, while Andrew Conway starts on the wing, with most people expecting them to have been playing in the opposite positions.
It’s an otherwise expected line-up in the starting team with Cian Healy and Tadhg Furlong on either side of captain Rory Best in the front-row, while Iain Henderson joins James Ryan in the second-row.
Peter O’Mahony and Josh van der Flier are on the blindside and openside respectively, with CJ Stander taking the No 8 jersey from Jack Conan, who sits on the bench.
It’s the key duo of Conor Murray and Johnny Sexton in the half-backs, with Bundee Aki and Garry Ringrose outside them in the centre.
Jacob Stockdale takes his place on the left-wing, with Conway on the right and Larmour at full-back.
Schmidt has power and versatility on the bench with the likes of Andrew Porter and Tadhg Beirne among the subs.
However, despite confirming that Joey Carbery was available for selection after overcoming an ankle injury during a warm-up game with Italy, the playmaker has not been named among the 23-man squad.
Speaking ahead of the game kicking coach Richie Murphy has given his verdict on the weather conditions for the game and believes his team should be able to cope no matter what they are faced with.
“The weather’s changing. It’s very hard to know and we’ll just have to keep an eye on it. Two days ago, it looked like it was going to be the worst rain shower we’ve ever seen. Now, it’s saying it will be dry. Everyone wants dry weather, no one wants to play in the rain. World Cups are all about adapting, whether that’s in the team or the conditions or how a referee interprets a rule. You have to adapt all the time,” he said.
Ireland are hoping to overcome the Scots in what is seen by most as a game that will be vital in deciding who finishes top of Pool A and it will be interesting to see how Ireland cope without some of their key men.
Check Out the Full 23-Man Squad Below.
Starting XV:
Jordan Larmour, Andrew Conway, Gary Ringrose, Bundee Aki, Jacob Stockdale, Jonathan Sexton, Connor Murray, CJ Stander, Josh van der Flier, Peter O’Mahony, James Ryan, Iain Henderson, Tadhg Furlong, Rory Best, Cian Healy
Replacements:
Niall Scannell, Dave Kilcoyne, Andrew Porter, Tadgh Beirne, Jack Conan, Luke McGrath, Jack Carty, Chris Farrell
