Ireland Team To Play France

There are three confirmed changes from the last outing, with Mike McCarthy and Cian Healy coming into the forwards in place of Donncha O’Callaghan and Tom Court respectively.

Craig Gilroy has failed to recover sufficiently from his groin strain and has been ruled out of the game with Fergus McFadden replacing him on the right wing.

Openings has been left in the matchday 23 for the starting and replacement out-half positions as Paddy Jackson has a tight hamstring which was being carefully monitored during training this morning and a decision on both positions will be made later this week.

Jonathan Sexton will require a further week of his rehabilitation programme on his hamstring injury.

Declan Fitzpatrick has also been ruled out of the game due to a calf strain. Stephen Archer and Michael Bent have been called into the squad and a decision on the replacement prop slot will be made later this week.

IRELAND Team & Replacements (v France, 2013 RBS 6 Nations Championship, Aviva Stadium, Saturday, March 9, kick-off 5pm):

Club/Province/International Caps –

15 – Rob Kearney (UCD/Leinster/44)
14 – Fergus McFadden (Old Belvedere/Leinster/16)
13 – Brian O’Driscoll (UCD/Leinster/123)
12 – Luke Marshall (Ballymena/Ulster/1)
11 – Keith Earls (Young Munster/Munster/37)
10 – AN Other
9 – Conor Murray (Garryowen/Munster/17)
1 – Cian Healy (Clontarf/Leinster/37)
2 – Rory Best (Banbridge/Ulster/65)
3 – Mike Ross (Clontarf/Leinster/27)
4 – Mike McCarthy (Buccaneers/Connacht/8)
5 – Donnacha Ryan (Shannon/Munster/26)
6 – Peter O’Mahony (Cork Constitution/Munster/12)
7 – Sean O’Brien (UCD/Leinster/25)
8 – Jamie Heaslip (Dublin University/Leinster/55) (capt)

Replacements:

16 – Sean Cronin (St. Mary’s College/Leinster/24)
17 – David Kilcoyne (UL Bohemians/Munster/5)
18 – AN Other
19 – Donncha O’Callaghan (Cork Constitution/Munster/93)
20 – Iain Henderson (Ballynahinch/Ulster/3)
21 – Eoin Reddan (Lansdowne/Leinster/49)
22 – AN Other
23 – Luke Fitzgerald (Blackrock College/Leinster/24)