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11th Aug 2011

Kidney makes mass changes to Ireland team

Declan Kidney has made eight changes in total to the Ireland team for the Rugby World Cup warm-up game against France on Saturday.

JOE

Declan Kidney has made eight changes in total to the Ireland team for the Rugby World Cup warm-up game against France on Saturday.

Ronan O’Gara, Sean O’Brien and Keith Earls are all included in Kidney’s team to face Les Bleus in Bordeaux after they sat out last weekend’s defeat to Scotland.

Jonathan Sexton and Tomás O’Leary sit this one out, having been omitted from the match-day 22 entirely.

There is a whole new front row, with Cian Healy, Rory Best and Mike Ross coming into the side.

The bench, meanwhile, is one of the strongest you’re ever likely to see.

Jerry Flannery, Paul O’Connell, Tony Buckley and Jamie Heaslip are all likely to see game-time at some stage in the first game of a double-header with France.

It will be a big occasion for Munster scrum-half Conor Murray, who is named in a match-day squad for the very first time.

Leo Cullen will captain the side while the injured Brian O’Driscoll continues to make strides in his recovery.

Ireland team v France on Saturday, 13 August at 6.45pm:

Rob Kearney, Andrew Trimble, Keith Earls, Paddy Wallace, Luke Fitzgerald; Ronan O’Gara, Eoin Reddan; Cian Healy, Rory Best, Mike Ross, Donnacha O’Callaghan, Leo Cullen (capt), Donnacha Ryan, Sean O’Brien, Dennis Leamy

Replacements: Jerry Flannery, Tony Buckley, Paul O’Connell, Jamie Heaslip, Conor Murray, Fergus McFadden, Felix Jones.

 

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Topics:

Rugby