Defending champions Ireland have named the side that will face England in Saturday’s eagerly-anticipated match on the opening weekend of this year’s Six Nations, with Sam Prendergast starting at out-half.
Ireland start a campaign at home in which they will aim to become the first nation to win the competition outright for three years in a row.
Saturday’s match at Aviva Stadium kicks off at 4.45pm.
The side is the first to have been picked by Simon Easterby, who has been placed in interim charge of Ireland while Andy Farrell is on secondment with the British and Irish Lions ahead of their tour in Australia this summer.
And Easterby’s first side is headlined by a Six Nations debut for Leinster 21-year-old Prendergast, who made his international bow in last year’s autumn internationals.
Jack Crowley, who started all five of Ireland’s game in last year’s tournament, will start the competition from the bench.
Ireland have named a back three of Hugo Keenan, Mack Hansen and James Lowe, with Bundee Aki next to Garry Ringrose in midfield. Jamison Gibson-Park starts at scrum-half, while Andrew Porter, Rónan Kelleher and Finlay Bealham are on the front row.
Caelan Doris captains the side having taken over from Peter O’Mahony in the autumn.
Hooker Dan Sheehan, meanwhile, returns to the squad after six months out with an ACL (Anterior Cruciate Ligament) knee injury and has been named on a strong-looking Ireland bench.
“We’ve come off the back of a good week’s training in Quinta do Lago and I have been hugely impressed by the effort of the squad,” said Easterby.
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“We’ve enjoyed some competitive sessions and it wasn’t easy selecting a squad for this week’s game given the quality of those who haven’t made the final 23. Credit to those who missed out on selection for this game, there was obvious disappointment but they all stepped up brilliantly to help prepare the team this week.
“England are a talented squad with quality across their panel and we know that we will need to hit the ground running to deliver a winning performance.
England, meanwhile, named their first side of this year’s Six Nations on Tuesday, with brothers Tom and Ben Curry starting together for the first time.
Ireland vs England: The confirmed team line-ups
Ireland
Starting XV: 15 Hugo Keenan, 14 Mack Hansen, 13 Garry Ringrose, 12 Bundee Aki, 11 James Lowe, 10 Sam Prendergast, 9 Jamison Gibson-Park; 1 Andrew Porter, 2 Rónan Kelleher, 3 Finlay Bealham, 4 James Ryan, 5 Tadhg Beirne, 6 Ryan Baird, 7 Josh van der Flier, 8 Caelan Doris (c)
Replacements: 16 Dan Sheehan, 17 Cian Healy, 18 Thomas Clarkson,19 Iain Henderson, 20 Jack Conan, 21 Conor Murray, 22 Jack Crowley, 23 Robbie Henshaw
England
Starting XV: 15 Freddie Steward, 14 Tommy Freeman, 13 Ollie Lawrence, 12 Henry Slade, 11 Cadan Murley, 10 Marcus Smith, 9 Alex Mitchell; 1 Ellis Genge, 2 Luke Cowan-Dickie, 3 Will Stuart, 4 Maro Itoje (c) 5 George Martin, 6 Tom Curry, 7 Ben Curry, 8 Ben Earl.
Replacements: 16 Theo Dan, 17 Fin Baxter, 18 Joe Heyes, 19 Ollie Chessum, 20 Chandler Cunningham-South, 21 Tom Willis, 22 Harry Randall, 23 Fin Smith
Six Nations 2025 fixtures: Ireland
- February 1: Ireland (h)
- February 9: Scotland (a)
- February 22: Wales (a)
- March 8: France (h)
- March 15: Italy (a)
Source : Sky Sports
