Geordan Murphy returns to the Ireland team for the first time since breaking a leg against Scotland last September, for the game against Italy in the RBS Six Nations Championship in Lansdowne Road on Saturday next (Kick off 1.30pm).
The Leicester club player wins his 21st cap on the left wing in place of Tyrone Howe. It is the only change on the Ireland team which defeated England by 19 - 13 at Twickenham.
On the bench, Marcus Horan, who has missed Ireland's three RBS Six Nations games this season because of a back injury, returns in place of Simon Best, while Donncha O'Callaghan, injured against Wales, is fit again and is preferred to Gary Longwell.
The Ireland team to play Italy in the RBS Six Nations Championship in Lansdowne Road on Saturday, March 20th, 2004 at 13.30hrs is as follows:
15 - Girvan Dempsey (Leinster-Terenure College) 14 - Shane Horgan (Leinster-Lansdowne) 13 - Gordon D'Arcy (Leinster-Lansdowne) 12 - Brian O'Driscoll (Leinster-Blackrock College) capt 11 - Geordan Murphy (Leicester) 10 - Ronan O'Gara (Munster-Cork Constitution) 9 - Peter Stringer (Munster-Shannon) 1 - Reggie Corrigan (Leinster-Greystones) 2 - Shane Byrne (Leinster-Blackrock College) 3 - John Hayes (Munster-Shannon) 4 - Malcom O'Kelly (Leinster-St. Mary's College) 5 - Paul O'Connell (Munster-Young Munster) 6 - Simon Easterby (Llanelli) 7 - Keith Gleeson (Leinster-St. Mary's College) 8 - Anthony Foley (Munster-Shannon) Replacements: 16 - Frank Sheahan (Munster- Cork Constitution) 17 - Marcus Horan (Munster-Shannon) 18 - Donncha O'Callaghan (Munster-Cork Constitution) 19 - Victor Costello (Leinster-St. Mary's College) 20 - Guy Easterby (Rotherham) 21 - David Humphreys (Ulster - Dungannon) 22 - Kevin Maggs (Bath).
Not considered due to injury. Rob Henderson (Munster-Young Munster) Denis Hickie (Leinster-St. Mary's College) Anthony Horgan (Munster-Cork Constitution) Eric Miller (Leinster-Terenure College) Mike Mullins (Munster-Old Crescent) Alan Quinlan (Munster-Shannon).