RBS Six Nations – Murphy Returns To Ireland Starting Line-Up.

In the only change to the starting line-up from the one that defeated England, Geordan Murphy is selected on the left wing at the expense of Tyrone Howe for the game against Italy.

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).