Ireland return fullback Hugo Keenan to an unchanged squad for Saturday’s trip to England (5:45 p.m.), where a bonus point victory would secure the title for Andy Farrell’s side a game away. the end of this edition. Keenan – a regular and extremely reliable starter at the back during Farrell’s tenure – suffered a knee injury in last month’s 36-0 win over Italy, which kept him out of the victory with bonus point against Wales in the next round.
A fourth victory for Ireland, with four tries, would put them at least six points ahead of Scotland ahead of the two teams’ final match at the Aviva Stadium next week, where Ireland hope to achieve a second Grand Prix. Consecutive Slam. For the third time since the start of this 2024 edition, Farrell has opted for a bench with 6 forwards and 2 backs, a tactic which has proven effective so far against France and Wales.
Finlay Bealham and Iain Henderson come on the bench in place of prop Oli Jager and second row James Ryan, who were missed due to injury. Center Garry Ringrose returned to training this week after missing the first three matches through injury, but is not included in the squad. Ciaran Frawley’s versatility, capable of covering the flyhalf, center and fullback positions, earned him a place on the bench. Frawley was impressive in his first Ireland start against Wales, scoring a maiden try.
Veteran prop Cian Healy will join Ronan O’Gara with 128 caps this Saturday if he plays at Twickenham and will be only five points behind Brian O’Driscoll’s record of 133.
15-Hugo Keenan, 14-Calvin Nash, 13-Robbie Henshaw, 12-Bundee Aki, 11-James Lowe, 10-Jack Crowley, 9-Jamison Gibson-Park ; 1-Andrew Porter, 2-Dan Sheehan, 3-Tadhg Furlong 4-Joe McCarthy, 5-Tadhg Beirne, 6-Peter O’Mahony (cap), 7- Josh van der Flier, 8-Caealan DorisRemplaçants : 16-Ronan Kelleher, 17-Cian Healy, 18-Finlay Bealham, 19-Iain Henderson, 20-Ryan Baird, 21-Jack Conan, 22-Conor Murray, 23-Ciaran Frawley