Henshaw to face Australia
Robbie Henshaw is named on Ireland Men's starting side for the visit of Australia to the Aviva Stadium tomorrow, Saturday (Kick-off 3.10pm).
Ireland conclude their Autumn Nations Series campaign against the Wallabies as part of Irish Rugby’s 150th Anniversary celebrations, with Farrell’s side wearing a specially produced one-off jersey, in association with Canterbury, which will be on sale from Friday.
In addition to the Anniversary celebrations, it also promises to be a special occasion for Cian Healy as he is set to become Ireland’s most capped player of all time, moving to 134 caps and past Brian O’Driscoll should he come off the replacements bench on Saturday.
Hugo Keenan, Mack Hansen and James Lowe start in the Ireland back three, with Bundee Aki and Robbie Henshaw continuing their midfield partnership, while Jamison Gibson-Park and Sam Prendergast are named at scrum-half and out-half respectively.
In the pack, Andrew Porter, Rónan Kelleher and Finlay Bealham start in the front row, with Joe McCarthy and James Ryan in the engine room, and Tadhg Beirne, Josh van der Flier and captain Caelan Doris making up the back row.
Healy, who made his Ireland debut against Australia in November 2009, is set for a milestone appearance off the bench, joining Gus McCarthy, Tom O’Toole, Iain Henderson and Peter O’Mahony as the forward reinforcements available to Farrell.
Backs Craig Casey, Jack Crowley and Garry Ringrose complete the Ireland Match Day Squad for the final Test of the year.
Andy Farrell said: “Saturday’s Test match is a significant milestone in the story of Irish rugby. Aside from the 150th celebrations, for Cian (Healy) it presents the opportunity to break the Test cap record, which is a remarkable achievement considering the robustness of his position. Cian is a giant of Irish rugby and we are determined to provide him with a performance that he deserves.
“We have seen steady improvements over the last few weeks and the visit of a strong Wallabies presents another challenge for the squad. There has been a collective determination to drive forward and finish the Autumn Nations Series on a high.”
Saturday’s match is live on Virgin Media One in Republic of Ireland and TNT Sports in the United Kingdom, with live radio coverage available on RTÉ Radio 1.