Ireland Announces Six Nations Squad to Face Wales with Four Changes

Andy Farrell has announced his Ireland squad for their upcoming Six Nations clash against Wales on Friday night in Dublin, making four personnel changes to the starting XV. The team follows up a narrow victory over Italy and a surprisingly comfortable win against England at Twickenham.

Team Changes and Key Players

The most notable changes see Jacob Stockdale replacing James Lowe on the wing, with Tom O’Toole taking over from Jeremy Loughman at loosehead prop. In the back row, Jack Conan and Nick Timoney come into the starting lineup, displacing Joe McCarthy and Josh van der Flier, respectively. Tadhg Beirne will fill McCarthy’s second-row berth.

Jack Crowley will continue at fly-half, while Jamison Gibson-Park is set to earn his 50th cap at scrum-half. The back three will consist of Stockdale, Jamie Osborne, and Robert Baloucoune, with a center partnership of Garry Ringrose and Stuart McCloskey.

Starting Lineups

Ireland

• Forwards: Tom O’Toole, Dan Sheehan, Tadhg Furlong, James Ryan, Tadhg Beirne, Jack Conan, Nick Timoney, Caelan Doris (captain)
• Backs: Jamison Gibson-Park, Jack Crowley, Jacob Stockdale, Garry Ringrose, Stuart McCloskey, Robert Baloucoune, Jamie Osborne
• Replacements: Tom Stewart, Michael Milne, Thomas Clarkson, Joe McCarthy, Josh van der Flier, Nathan Doak, Tom Farrell, Ciaran Frawley

Wales

(Team information for Wales was provided in the source document and is included below)

• Louis Rees-Zammit; Ellis Mee, Eddie James, Joe Hawkins, Josh Adams; Dan Edwards, Tomos Williams; Rhys Carre, Dewi Lake (capt), Tomas Francis; Dafydd Jenkins, Ben Carter; Alex Mann, James Botham, Aaron Wainwright.
• Replacements: Ryan Elias, Nicky Smith, Archie Griffin, Adam Beard, Olly Cracknell, Kieran Hardy, Jarrod Evans, Loue Hennessey.

Match Details

Ireland v Wales kicks off at 8:10 PM GMT on Friday, March 6th, with live coverage available on ITV1 and ITVX in the UK, and RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player in Ireland.

Ireland’s Recent Six Nations Squad

Andy Farrell has named a 37-man squad for the Six Nations, including:

• Forwards: Tom Ahern, Finlay Bealham, Tadhg Beirne, Jack Boyle, Thomas Clarkson, Jack Conan, Caelan Doris, Edwin Edogbo, Tadhg Furlong, Rónan Kelleher, Jeremy Loughman, Joe McCarthy, Michael Milne, Tom O’Toole, Cian Prendergast, James Ryan, Dan Sheehan, Tom Stewart, Nick Timoney, Josh van der Flier
• Backs: Bundee Aki, Robert Baloucoune, Craig Casey, Jack Crowley, Nathan Doak, Tom Farrell, Ciaran Frawley, Jamison Gibson-Park, Robbie Henshaw, Hugo Keenan, Stuart McCloskey, Jimmy O’Brien, Tommy O’Brien, Jamie Osborne, Sam Prendergast, Garry Ringrose, Jacob Stockdale