Farrell changes it up for Ireland's year-end finale
11/28/2024 09:41 AM
TEAM ANNOUNCEMENT: Coach Andy Farrell has named his Ireland team for Saturday's 150th Anniversary Test against Australia at a sold-out Lansdowne Road in Dublin.
Ireland concludes their tear-end Tests campaign against the Wallabies as part of Irish Rugby Union's 150th Anniversary celebrations, with Farrell's side wearing a specially produced one-off jersey.
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In addition to the celebrations, it also promises to be a special occasion for Cian Healy as he is set to become Ireland's most-capped player of all time, moving to 134 caps and past Brian O'Driscoll should he come off the replacements bench on Saturday.
Hugo Keenan, Mack Hansen and James Lowe start in the Ireland back three, with Bundee Aki and Robbie Henshaw continuing their midfield partnership, while Jamison Gibson-Park and Sam Prendergast are named at scrumhalf and flyhalf respectively.
In the pack, Andrew Porter, Rónan Kelleher and Finlay Bealham start in the front row, with Joe McCarthy and James Ryan in the engine room, and Tadhg Beirne, Josh van der Flier and captain Caelan Doris making up the back row.
Healy, who made his Ireland debut against Australia in November 2009, is set for a milestone appearance off the bench, joining Gus McCarthy, Tom O'Toole, Iain Henderson and Peter O'Mahony as the forward reinforcements available to Farrell.
Backs Craig Casey, Jack Crowley and Garry Ringrose complete the Ireland Match Day Squad for the final Test of the year.
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"Saturday's Test match is a significant milestone in the story of the Irish game," Andy Farrell said.
"Aside from the 150th celebrations, for Cian [Healy] it presents the opportunity to break the Test cap record, which is a remarkable achievement considering the robustness of his position.
"Cian is a giant of the Irish game and we are determined to provide him with a performance that he deserves.
"We have seen steady improvements over the last few weeks and the visit of a strong Wallabies presents another challenge for the squad.
"There has been a collective determination to drive forward and finish the tear-end Tests on a high."
Ireland: 15 Hugo Keenan, 14 Mack Hansen, 13 Robbie Henshaw, 12 Bundee Aki, 11 James Lowe, 10 Sam Prendergast, 9 Jamison Gibson-Park, 8 Caelan Doris (captain), 7 Josh van der Flier, 6 Tadhg Beirne, 5 James Ryan, 4 Joe McCarthy, 3 Finlay Bealham, 2 Ronan Kelleher, 1 Andrew Porter.
Replacements: 16 Gus McCarthy, 17 Cian Healy, 18 Tom O'Toole, 19 Iain Henderson, 20 Peter O'Mahony, 21 Craig Casey, 22 Jack Crowley, 23 Garry Ringrose.
Date: Saturday, November 30
Venue: Lansdowne Road, Dublin
Kick-off: 15.10 (15.10 GMT; 02.10, Sunday, December 1, AEST)
Referee: Andrea Piardi
Assistant referees: Nika Amashukeli, Gianluca Gnecchi
TMO: Eric Gauzins
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