Ireland team to play Scotland: 2025 Six Nations

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Ireland team to play Scotland for Sunday's Guinness Men's Six Nations clash at Murrayfield, as Simon Easterby's side look to build on their victory over England.

Find your local Greene King and settle in for the 2025 Six Nations!

The squad features four Munster stars, with Tadhg Beirne and Peter O'Mahony starting in the pack, while Conor Murray and Jack Crowley take spots on the bench.

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Doris leads the charge, Healy eyes Six Nations record

Caelan Doris continues as captain, while veteran prop Cian Healy is on the brink of history—if he takes the field, he will surpass Brian O'Driscoll's record with his 66th Six Nations appearance.

Ireland's backline remains unchanged, with Hugo Keenan, Mack Hansen, and James Lowe forming the back three, Bundee Aki and Robbie Henshaw partnering in midfield, and Jamison Gibson-Park linking up with Sam Prendergast in the half-backs.

Settled pack to take on physical Scotland challenge

Up front, Andrew Porter, Rónan Kelleher, and Finlay Bealham retain their places in the front row, with James Ryan and Tadhg Beirne locking down the second row. Peter O'Mahony starts at blindside flanker, Josh van der Flier is at openside, and Doris anchors the back row at number eight.

Easterby expects a tough battle

Speaking ahead of the clash, Easterby highlighted the challenge Scotland pose, particularly after their strong start to the tournament.

"Sunday's game presents a significant challenge against a Scotland side that had a very good Autumn Nations Series and have started the Six Nations with a positive bonus point win over Italy. We have taken confidence from the win over England this week and there are undoubtedly areas for improvement," he said.

"Selection was a real challenge again, which reinforces the competition for places. As we approach Round 2, it's about improvement and building momentum. We know that we will need to start the game strongly and meet their physical challenge."

Ireland team to play Scotland:

Starting XV:
15. Hugo Keenan (UCD/Leinster) (43)
14. Mack Hansen (Corinthians/Connacht) (26)
13. Robbie Henshaw (Buccaneers/Leinster) (78)
12. Bundee Aki (Galwegians/Connacht) (61)
11. James Lowe (Leinster) (37)
10. Sam Prendergast (Lansdowne/Leinster) (4)
9. Jamison Gibson-Park (Leinster) (39)

1. Andrew Porter (UCD/Leinster) (71)
2. Rónan Kelleher (Lansdowne/Leinster) (38)
3. Finlay Bealham (Corinthians/Connacht) (47)
4. James Ryan (UCD/Leinster) (68)
5. Tadhg Beirne (Lansdowne/Munster) (57)
6. Peter O'Mahony (Cork Constitution/Munster) (110)
7. Josh van der Flier (UCD/Leinster) (69)
8. Caelan Doris (St Mary's College/Leinster) (captain) (48)

Replacements:
16. Dan Sheehan (Lansdowne/Leinster) (28)
17. Cian Healy (Clontarf/Leinster) (135)
18. Thomas Clarkson (Dublin University/Leinster) (3)
19. Ryan Baird (Dublin University/Leinster) (24)
20. Jack Conan (Old Belvedere/Leinster) (47)
21. Conor Murray (Garryowen/Munster) (121)
22. Jack Crowley (Cork Constitution/Munster) (20)
23. Garry Ringrose (UCD/Leinster) (64)

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UPDATED: Foreign-born players in the 2025 Six Nations

With eligibility rules allowing selections through ancestry, residency, or other pathways, squads feature a fascinating mix of homegrown stars and those who developed their skills elsewhere before qualifying for their adopted countries.

The following breakdown, based on data compiled by Americas Rugby News, examines the composition of various national teams, shedding light on the number of foreign-born players and how they qualify for their respective squads.

This international blend underlines rugby's global nature, with some nations leaning on overseas-born talent more than others. Ahead of round two, we’ve broken down the squads – and Scotland lead the way by a mile when it comes to foreign-born players.

ENGLAND

HOMEGROWN PLAYERS: 39/41 (95.2%)
FOREIGN-BORN PLAYERS: 3/41 (7.3%)

• Bevan Rodd (Scotland) – Parent
• Chandler Cunningham-South (England) – Born in England
• Harry Randall (England) – Born in England
• Marcus Smith (Philippines) – Parent
• Tom Roebuck (Scotland) – Parent

FRANCE

HOMEGROWN PLAYERS: 39/42 (92.8%)
FOREIGN-BORN PLAYERS: 6/42 (14.2%)

• Dany Priso (Cameroon) – Residency (2008)
• Uini Atonio (New Zealand) – Residency (2014)
• Giorgi Beria (Georgia) – Residency (2002)
• Joshua Brennan (Ireland) – Residency (2005)
• Emmanuel Meafou (New Zealand) – Residency (2023)
• Émilien Gailleton (England) – Parent

IRELAND

HOMEGROWN PLAYERS: 30/36 (83.3%)
FOREIGN-BORN PLAYERS: 9/36 (25%)

• Rob Herring (South Africa) – Grandparent
• Finlay Bealham (Australia) – Grandparent
• Cormac Izuchukwu (England) – Parent
• Joe McCarthy (USA) – Parent
• Jamison Ratu Gibson-Park (New Zealand) – Residency (2020)
• Bundee Aki (New Zealand) – Residency (2017)
• Ciarán Frawley (Australia) – Parent
• Mack Hansen (Australia) – Parent
• James Lowe (New Zealand) – Residency (2020)

ITALY

HOMEGROWN PLAYERS: 21/31 (67.7%)
FOREIGN-BORN PLAYERS: 9/31 (29.0%)

• Dino Lamb-Cona (England) – Parent
• Sebastian Negri (Zimbabwe) – Parent
• Ross Vintcent (South Africa) – Grandparent
• Martin Page-Relo (France) – Grandparent
• Stephen Varney (Wales) – Parent
• Juan Ignacio Brex (Argentina) – Grandparent
• Montana Ioane (Australia) – Residency (2020)
• Ange Capuozzo (France) – Parent
• Matt Gallagher (England) – Parent

SCOTLAND

HOMEGROWN PLAYERS: 25/42 (58,1.3%)
FOREIGN-BORN PLAYERS: 18/43 (44.1%)

1. Pierre Schoeman (South Africa) – Residency (2021)
2. Ewan Ashman (Canada) – Parent
3. Dylan Richardson (South Africa) – Parent
4. Will Hurd (England) – Grandparent
5. Cameron Henderson (Hong Kong) – Parent
6. Ewan Johnson (England) – Parent
7. Marshall Sykes (England) – Grandparent
8. Josh Bayliss (England) – Grandparent
9. Jack Dempsey (Australia) – Grandparent
10. Alexander Masibaka (Australia) – Parent
11. Ben White (England) – Grandparent
12. Fergus Burke (New Zealand) – Grandparent
13. Tom Jordan (New Zealand) – Residency (2024)
14. Rory Hutchinson (England) – Grandparent
15. Sione Tuipulotu (Australia) – Grandparent
16. Arron Reed (England) – Parent
17. Kyle Rowe (England) – Cumulative Residency
18. Duhan van der Merwe (South Africa) – Residency (2020)

WALES

HOMEGROWN PLAYERS: 26/34 (76.4%)
FOREIGN-BORN PLAYERS: 10/34 (29.4%)

• WillGriff John (England) – Parent
• Henry Thomas (England) – Parent
• Will Rowlands (England) – Parent
• Freddie Thomas (England) – Grandparent
• Christ Tshiunza (DR Congo) – Residency (2015)
• James Botham (Wales) – Born in Wales
• Taulupe Faletau (Tonga) – Residency (2001)
• Ellis Bevan (England) – Parent
• Nick Tompkins (England) – Grandparent
• Blair Murray (New Zealand) – Parent
• Ellis Mee (England) – Parent

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