Ireland head coach Andy Farrell first delivered Six Nations He begins with half-back Ross Byrne and Craig Casey as part of the seven substitutions for Saturday’s shootout. Italy — but Garry Ringrose had to pull out on Friday due to a calf injury.
Fly half Byrne replaces injured Leinster teammate johnny sextonwhile half of Casey comes in for the other Munster man, Conor Murray.
Hooker Ronan Kelleher, key Iain Henderson, back line forward Jack Conan and center Bundee Aki He was also recalled for a visit to Rome. Henderson’s second-ranked partner James Ryan In Sexton’s absence, he will captain Farrell’s grand slam pursuit team at the Stadio Olimpico.
For Italy, fly half Paolo Garbisi It will be participating in this year’s Six Nations for the first time as part of three changes. Garbisi missed the opening two rounds of the championship due to a knee injury, but was recalled to replace Harlequins’ Tommaso Allan after returning to action for Montpellier last weekend.
Pierre Bruno was restored on the left flank during the shootout in Rome, where Tommaso Menoncello was pushed into the infield and Luca Morisi fell into the bench. Following Azzurri’s 31-14 Round 2 loss to England, the other change to Kieran Crowley’s first XV sees Simone Ferrari replace Marco Riccioni on tight prop.
Confirmed line-ups
Italy 15. 15. Ange Capuozzo; 14. Edoardo Padovani, 13. Juan Ignacio Brex, 12. Tommaso Menoncello, 11. Pierre Bruno; 10. Paolo Garbisi, 9. Stephen Varney; 1. Danilo Fischetti, 2. Giacomo Nicotera, 3. Simone Ferrari; 4. Niccolo Cannone, 5. Federico Ruzza; 6. Sebastian Negri, 7. Michele Lamaro (captain), 8. Lorenzo Cannone
Replacements: 16. Luca Bigi, 17. Federico Zani, 18. Marco Riccioni, 19. Edoardo Iachizzi, 20. Giovanni Pettinelli, 21. Alessandro Fusco, 22. Luca Morisi, 23. Tommaso Allan.
Ireland 15. 15. Hugo Keenan; 14. Mack Hansen, 13. Stuart McCloskey, 12. Bundee Aki, 11. James Lowe; 10. Ross Byrne, 9. Craig Casey; 1. Andrew Porter, 2. Ronan Kelleher, 3. Finlay Bealham; 4. Iain Henderson, 5. James Ryan (captain); 6. Caelan Doris, 7. Josh van der Flier, 8. Jack Conan
Replacements: 16. Dan Sheehan, 17. Dave Kilcoyne, 18. Tom O’Toole, 19. Ryan Baird, 20. Peter O’Mahony; 21. Conor Murray, 22. Jack Crowley, 23. Jimmy O’Brien.
When is Italy v Ireland?
The match between Italy and Ireland will kick off at 14.15 on Saturday, February 25 at Stadio Olimpico in Rome.
How can I watch?
Viewers in the UK can watch the match live on ITV1, and the broadcast will begin at 1:25 PM. Registered users can stream the action live via the ITVX app or website.