The Ireland team to play New Zealand this Saturday has been named and shows ten changes to the starting XV that played against the Barbarians in the opening game of the tour.
In the backline Tommy Bowe, Gordon D’Arcy, Tomas O’Leary will all start the game, as does Captain Brian O’Driscoll in the centre to win his 102nd cap.,
Cian Healy and John Hayes will sit on either side of Sean Cronin in the front row and will be backed up by the experienced second row pairing of Donncha O’Callaghan and Mick O’Driscoll.
John Muldoon retains his starting position in the back row and is joined by David Wallace and Jamie Heaslip.
The replacements contain two uncapped players in John Fogarty and Dan Tuohy, both of which are included in their first international match day squad.
Ireland XV:
15 - Robert Kearney (UCD/Leinster), 14 - Tommy Bowe (Ospreys), 13 - Brian O’Driscoll (UCD/Leinster) Captain, 12 - Gordon D’Arcy (Lansdowne/Leinster), 11 - Andrew Trimble (Ballymena/Ulster), 10 - Ronan O'Gara (Cork Constitution/Munster), 9 - Tomas O’Leary (Dolphin/Munster), 1 - Cian Healy (Clontarf/Leinster), 2 - Sean Cronin (Buccaneers/Connacht), 3 - John Hayes (Buff/Munster), 4 - Donncha O’Callaghan (Cork Constitution/Munster), 5 - Mick O’Driscoll (Cork Constitution/Munster), 6 - John Muldoon (Galwegians/Connacht), 7 - David Wallace (Garryowen/Munster), 8 - Jamie Heaslip (Naas/Leinster)
Replacements:, 16 - John Fogarty (De la Salle Palmerston/Leinster)*, 17 - Tony Buckley (Shannon/Munster), 18 - Dan Tuohy (Ballymena/Ulster)*, 19 - Shane Jennings (St.Mary’s College/Leinster), 20 - Eoin Reddan (Lansdowne/Leinster), 21 - Jonathan Sexton (St.Mary’s College/Leinster), 22 - Geordan Murphy (Leicester)
*Denotes uncapped player
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