After two strong performances to open their Rugby World Cup campaign, Ireland will face a more difficult challenge in the form of Italy this weekend.
While Joe Schmidt's side will still be expected to win, the attacking, aggressive displays by Ireland to date have given fans hope that the side have left their patchy form of the warm up games behind them.
With both Jared Payne and Rob Kearney nursing injuries, neither feature in the lineup this weekend even if they may well return against France. Not only will Schmidt not want to risk them, but given that they haven't trained during the week they won't feature in the team, something that the Ireland coach has been very consistent on during his tenure.
Tommy Bowe returns to the starting lineup after scoring two tries last weekend, while Simon Zebo's ability to create something from nothing coupled with Kearney's injury sees him also among the XV.
The main talking point will be Robbie Henshaw's inclusion, a player who has yet to feature given that he hasn't been fit. While Schmidt would have like to slot him in against Romania last weekend and get some time under his belt, he is clearly satisfied with how the Connacht man has been training in the buildup to the game, and is eager to see him in action on the pitch.
Despite a reassuring return from injury over the course of the last few games, Cian Healy is once again among the replacements as Jack McGrath is in the starting lineup, perhaps with one eye on the France game that looks set to decide the Pool winner.
The full team is as follows:
Starting XV
Simon Zebo, Tommy Bowe, Keith Earls, Robbie Henshaw, Dave Kearney, Johnny Sexton, Conor Murray, Jamie Heaslip, Sean O'Brien, Peter O'Mahony, Paul O'Connell (C), Iain Henderson, Mike Ross, Rory Best, Jack McGrath.
Replacements
Sean Cronin, Cian Healy, Nathan White, Devin Toner, Chris Henry, Eoin Reddan, Ian Madigan, Luke Fitzgerald.
Download the brand new OffTheBall App in the Play Store & App Store right now! We've got you covered!
Subscribe to OffTheBall's YouTube channel for more videos, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for the latest sporting news and content.
